Akatsuki no Hime
by Megan Mismatch
Summary: We follow a girl named Sada, a young girl has the kekkei genkai of going through solid objects. She has caught the attention of our favorite criminal organization and has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki. She is forced to adopt their ways of life, will she ever be reunited with the love of her life Deidara? Or will she fall for the prodigy of the Uchiha clan, Itachi? DeiXOCXItachi
1. Epilogue

**Author's Note: This story, is a project I'd been considering developing for a long time after I wrote** _Beautiful Tragedy,_ **more commonly known by others as** _You're My Angel._ **I toyed with the idea of what would have happened to Sada if Itachi and Kisame had taken her with them after their failed attempt to capture Naruto. As mentioned in chapter twenty eight in** _Beautiful Tragedy_ , **Itachi was absolutely sure that Sada would be valuable to the Akatsuki organization. He was prone to bring her back with them, but Jiraiya came through in the end, stopping any attempt they made from taking her away. Now, I decided I wanted to write an alternate story of what happens to Sada once she's taken to Akatsuki. I hope this turns out well because I've wanted to do this for a good while, enjoy. If you haven't read** _Beautiful Tragedy_ **I suggest you read it before reading this.**

 _Epilogue_

 _I stared down from the tree branch I was sitting on. Waiting patiently, my red eyes scanning the surrounding area. I could just feel their chakra approaching, they were close…very close. After all the time I had spent training, learning, experiencing new things; I knew I'd finally become strong enough to fulfill the duties they'd asked of me._

 _Orochimaru had attempted to steal my abilities for himself, force me to become one of his mindless followers, I'd resisted. He'd never shown me an ounce of kindness, his treatment towards me had almost killed me. I was ready to kill him, to show him what happened to people like him, people that had no respect for others._

 _The shinobi from Konohagakure had rescued me from him, but they'd resented me. They didn't understand my abilities or my village, Kuraigakure (The Village Hidden in the Dark). I'd been shunned, hated, avoided at all costs. People that had claimed to be my "comrades" and "friends" were all nothing but a bunch of liars._

 _The Akatsuki organization, I'd been taken there without a say so in the matter, but I felt like I belonged there. I wasn't looked at with disgust, I was accepted. They found my abilities fascinating, useful, and one particular member found them artistic. I hadn't ever thought that I could belong in a place that was surrounded by so much bloodshed, a place that thirsted for power, a place that was the home of criminals. Yet, I felt like I belonged there._

 _I glanced up feeling the wind caress my face, the moonlight illuminating my porcelain colored skin. My blue violet hair danced in the wind, a few strands whipping around my face. I slowly moved my hand to my face, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. To anyone who didn't know me, I must've looked like an innocent young girl. My face had always had a more innocent look to it, my red eyes screaming about how much I was hurting on the inside, how betrayed I felt…how lonely I was._

 _After everything that had happened to me though, I'd managed to get over my loneliness bit by bit. I felt appreciated now, like I was a help to those around me. Everyone around me, they appreciated my existence and didn't judge me merely because of how different I was. Being from a place such as Kuraigakure always had people questioning what kind of person I was, my village was known for its isolation and cruelty towards its people. I was a kind person at heart, but it felt as though my heart slowly began to turn to stone after all the shunning they'd thrown upon me._

 _I looked away from the moon, hearing the faint sound of a bell singing in the air, and hopped down from the tree branch. I landed on all fours in a crouched position and straightened up, my hair falling halfway down my back like a dark silhouette. I stared at the two figures approaching me with an emotionless look on my face. Both men were wearing a black cloak with a red cloud design on it, their heads adorned with bamboo hats with bells on the end. I blinked as they stopped in front of me, bowing my head slightly. I glanced up through my bangs, watching them._

 _The first man before me, Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the former Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure. He'd worked with my old master, Momochi Zabuza, at some point in the past. He wields the same-hada, a sword that is able to devour chakra and shave an enemy to death. He has a ton of pride and quite the love for battle so I make sure not to interrupt him when he's enjoying himself._

 _The other man, Uchiha Itachi, the murderer of the Uchiha clan. He was Uchiha Sasuke's older brother by six years. He has many skills and quite the different number of powerful techniques, one of these being the Mangekyo Sharingan and the illusionary world of Tsukuyomi. Both techniques are rather dangerous, and I'd recently learnt from Kisame that the Mangekyo Sharingan was causing Itachi to go blind. I made sure that I would protect him at all costs; he taught me everything I knew._

" _Kisame-san, Itachi-sama." I greeted, nodding a little._

" _Ah, Sada-hime. You waited for us." Kisame said, sounding teasing like he normally did. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and looked at Itachi._

" _Was the mission a success, Itachi-sama?" I inquired, Itachi replied with a nod._

" _We're returning to the headquarters, let's go." he said with his usual emotionless tone. Both Kisame and I nodded, following Itachi through the darkness of the night._


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

 _AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; AMEGAKURE_

Deidara sighed a little, heading down the hallway of the Akatsuki headquarters. The hallway was cast in darkness, the only light available in the hallway was the dim lights that hung from the ceiling. He blinked a few times, trying to get his eye to adjust to the dim lighting, and walked down the hallway with a blank expression on his face. He'd just arrived back in Amegakure, the Akatsuki headquarters, the only home he had. Yet, although he was home, he felt an aching feeling in his chest. He knew exactly what it was as well, heartache. He wouldn't have ever thought he could fall in love with any girl, but he had. Sada, the violet haired beauty, the red eyed goddess, his own personal enchantress. In the month that he'd been in Konohagakure, gathering information on the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, he'd met the most amazing girl. She'd changed him, he could sense the change in himself, he hadn't felt _himself_ since his mother had died. Now…he was actually feeling like himself again. Falling in love at sixteen, he hadn't ever thought it would happen to him but it had. This girl, she was something special. There was something in her that he'd never seen in any other girl, she'd stolen his heart, maybe that was the reason he missed her as much as he did.

Before leaving that night, he'd left her a letter, telling her that he had to leave. In the letter, he'd told her how much she meant to him, how much he cared about her, and how much it tore him up to leave her like this. He knew that he couldn't let the Akatsuki find out about her though, that could be the worse possible thing that could happen. He'd been forced into this organization; he'd never wanted to join. When he'd been forced into it, he'd thought about that battle with Itachi every day, thinking that killing himself would've been better than being in this place. Meeting her though, had diminished all those thoughts of his. He loved her, more than he thought was humanly possible, and he needed to protect her. He knew that ability of hers, her kekkei genkai as she called it, was something that the Akatsuki would be interested in. There was nothing like it in the world, and the Akatsuki would have a huge advantage if they had an ability like that in their ranks. He promised himself that'd he'd write her, keep in contact with her until he could see her again.

He was considering trying to convince Pein to allow him to accompany Kisame and Itachi on their mission to capture the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, but he didn't know if it was the best idea. Of course he wanted to see Sada again, these few days without her had been hard, he was driving himself crazy thinking about her. He didn't want the Akatsuki to find out about her though, if he went then there was a huge chance that would happen. Deidara hung his head, blonde hair cascading down both sides of his face. There was no way to win, if he went they could find out about her, and if he didn't then he'd go crazy. What was a teenager to do? He scratched the back of his head absentmindedly, trying to clear his head of all thoughts, and went down the hallway on the left. He sighed quietly and stopped at Pein's office door, lightly knocking.

"Enter." Pein's said in his normal cold tone.

Deidara pushed his bangs away from his face and entered the room as instructed. He closed the door and bowed slightly, his eye locking on the floor. He stayed in his bow for a moment before moving his eye up, staring at Pein sitting behind his desk on the other side of the room.

"Deidara." Pein said, acknowledging the blonde's presence. Deidara stood straight, recognizing that he was allowed to do so, and crossed his arms over his chest. "You've returned."

"Hai, Leader-sama." Deidara said with a respectful tone. "I've acquired much information on the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki for Itachi-san and Kisame-san's mission. There were quite a number of surprising things." Pein nodded, his eyes showing that he was interested in what the blonde teenager had to say, and sighed.

"What sorts of things?" he asked in his cold voice.

"It seems that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki has an enormous amount of power, and it's as if he can't control it very well, hm. When he goes into a rage of anger, he's too powerful to contain." Deidara replied. Pein nodded, knowing that controlling Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's chakra wouldn't be a problem with Kisame's same-hada. "Also, it appears as though his sensei is one of the three legendary Sannin." Pein nodded again, not liking this new complication, and stared at Deidara with little emotion.

"Relay this information to Itachi and Kisame, they'll need to be informed of the Sannin. This complicates things." Pein said after a moment.

Deidara nodded, part of him hating that Pein hadn't suggested he accompany Kisame and Itachi. He quickly bowed again before exiting the dark room. He shuddered a little, trying to get the feel of the powerful chakra out of his head, and head down the hallway to find Itachi and Kisame. He hated how he wouldn't be able to see Sada again for a long while; he needed to give her a reason for his sudden leaving but what could he tell her? He couldn't tell her anything about the Akatsuki, he didn't want her involved in something dangerous like this. She was his angel, his masterpiece, his perfection; she couldn't get involved with criminals like the Akatsuki. There was no way he could let her, he was determined to keep her safe at all costs. Even if that meant not being able to see her for weeks, months, years…he couldn't put her at risk. He shouldn't have gotten involved with her in the first place, but there was no possible way he could take it back now. There was no way he _would_ take it back even if he could, the few weeks he'd been with her had been the greatest times of his life. He loved her, and he was determined to stay with her forever. Until he could be with her though, he had to keep her safe, and that meant keeping her oblivious to the Akatsuki. He groaned quietly, hating how complicated this all was, and walked into his room.

He scowled a little, not liking how his room had been entered while he was gone, and dropped everything on the floor without even thinking about being careful with his stuff. It wasn't like any of it would break; it was in a bag after all. He hated anything that had to do with being neat and organized; he'd always been that way, even back in Iwagakure. Plus, it was fun being the complete and total opposite of his partner. Sasori was always neat and organized; Deidara was always messy and disheveled. He always had fun screwing with his older partner, he was so easy to frustrate. He bit down on his lower lip, trying to figure out who had the nerve to enter his room while he wasn't here. It couldn't have been Sasori because Sasori would've actually cleaned his room just to piss him off. His room was still messy, but there were things out of place. His eye narrowed angrily, that good for nothing Jashin worshipping bastard Hidan. He stalked out of his room and looked down the hallway, determined to give that violet eyed asshole a piece of his mind.

He walked down the hallway, resisting the urge to stomp around like a child, and pushed his blonde bangs out of his eye. Where was that good for nothing immortal? Deidara was going to blow him to pieces; he'd hide his limbs all over headquarters so he'd be looking for them for weeks to come. He smirked at the idea, chuckling quietly to himself, and peaked into their little living room. No go, Hidan wasn't there and neither were Kisame or Itachi. He narrowed his eye when the masked man known as Tobi gasped and bolted across the room towards the blonde.

"Deidara-sempai!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Tobi hm." Deidara mumbled, not pleased that he had to deal with this idiot now.

"How was your mission sempai?" Tobi pressed, trying to converse with the blonde.

Deidara shrugged, not wanting to deal with the childish boy. He walked around Tobi, ignoring his constant babbling, and looked at Zetsu playing a lone game of solitaire.

"Zetsu-san, have you seen that immortal son of a bitch hm?" he asked, playing with some of the clay in his hand.

"He and Kakuzu had a mission to attend to in Kumogakure." the black side of Zetsu replied, never turning his gaze away from the cards. Deidara swore angrily, he was going to decapitate that immortal asshole.

"They should be back some time tonight." the white side finished. Deidara nodded a little.

"What about Kisame-san and Uchiha hm?" he inquired. Zetsu grumbled, shuffling the cards for another game of solitaire.

"They're in the dining room at this time with Sasori-san." the white side answered, dealing the cards out. Deidara nodded again, forming the clay into a tiny bird before squishing it.

"Arigato Zetsu-san." he said, turning on his heel.

"Yeah yeah." Zetsu's black side mumbled.

Deidara moved around Tobi, who was still intent on talking to the blonde Akatsuki member, and head out of the den. He groaned loudly, hating that he had to walk all the way down the hallway, and walked towards the dining room. What day was it anyway, Thursday…Kakuzu's day to cook. Who was going to cook with him gone, maybe Konan would decide to cook for once. She rarely ever cooked for the members, besides Pein, but she would every now and again. Her cooking was amazing, it reminded him a little of how his mother's cooking used to be. He smiled a little at the thought of his dead mother, his thoughts moving to Sada afterwards. He began wondering what he would write to her, what excuse he could give her, perhaps he could say he had to go back to Iwagakure to face his father for the first time in years. It would be better than telling her about the Akatsuki, he couldn't get her involved in all this. He wanted to keep her safe from harm, safe from the people in this place, and if lying to her was the only way to do it…then so be it. He loved her, and he'd do anything for her. Deidara sighed quietly and walked into the dining room. A smirk came to his lips upon seeing the three familiar people sitting at the table.

"Miss me hm?" Deidara asked, with a sarcastic tone.

The three men sitting at the table turned around, and Deidara grinned at them; it was so good to be back. The Uchiha prodigy turned away from the blonde, making a point to ignore him. Sasori sighed quietly, running a hand through his red hair boredly. Why did the blonde have to always make an entrance, why was _he_ stuck with such a brat for a partner? Kisame rolled his eyes a little at Deidara's sarcastic tone, a smirk coming to his blue lips.

"So you're finally back then." he stated with a bored tone. Deidara crossed the room, taking a seat at the table across from the red haired puppet master.

"Hai, Leader-sama asked me to relay a certain piece of information I stumbled upon during my mission hm." Deidara said to Kisame, ignoring the Uchiha.

Kisame nodded, seeming a little interested in what the former Iwagakure shinobi had to say. Itachi looked across the table at Deidara with a blank expression on his face, secretly interested in what he found out. Deidara opened his mouth but closed it seeing Konan walk in from the kitchen, plate and glass in hand.

"Oh Deidara-san you're back." she said with a friendly smile. He nodded, smiling a little, feeling happy that Konan had cooked dinner. "How was your mission?"

"Just fine Konan-san hm." Deidara said to the blue haired woman. She nodded, still smiling and said

"That's good, dinner's ready though so hurry up and eat before all my hard work has gone to waste. I need to get this to Pein, I mean..." She giggled a little, rolling her eyes. "Leader-sama." she finished. "It's nice to have you back Deidara-san."

She exited the room, leaving the Akatsuki members to fend for themselves in the kitchen. As they went about filling their plates with Konan's cooking, Deidara said

"Leader-sama wished me to inform you about the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's sensei." Kisame raised an eyebrow in interest, what was this blonde talking about?

"What the fuck do you mean?" Kisame asked; Itachi remained silent.

"His sensei hm." Deidara repeated, rolling his eye. "One of the three legendary Sannin, Jiraiya." Kisame grumbled, not liking this new complication.

"This will only make things more difficult." he complained, Itachi let out a soft sigh.

"Every shinobi has a weakness, we'll find his and separate him from the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." Itachi said coldly, Kisame nodded in agreement.

Deidara rolled his eye towards the ceiling again, mentally blowing Itachi into a thousand pieces, and took a seat back at the table. Silence graced the table for a good while, no one really speaking until they heard

"You fucking atheist, Jashin-sama will punish you for being such a greedy bastard." Deidara felt a smirk tug at his lips, Hidan.

'He'll be sorry for going in my fucking room.'

 _KONOHAGAKURE; SASUKE'S HOUSE, A FEW DAYS LATER_

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, adjusting my black dress before I pulled on my black wrist length gloves. Today was the Hokage's funeral, and even though I didn't know him that well, I felt obligated to go. It's not that everyone had to go, but I felt like there was something inside me telling me to go. I felt so guilty, like it was my fault for his death. I'd been there, but I wasn't able to save him; it really felt like my fault. Sasuke had told me it wasn't, but I still felt like it was. I sighed again and tried to clear my mind of all these depressing thoughts. I put a black ribbon in my blue violet hair and looked back at my dress. It was pure black of course, and it went down to the bottom of my ankles. It even had a slit on the right side that went up to my mid-thigh. It was extremely pretty, but the fact that I was wearing it for a funeral made it seem ugly. I sighed again and heard a knock at my door. I picked up the white roses and opened the door. I smiled slightly seeing Sasuke standing there, and he smiled one of his rare smiles at me.

He'd offered to walk with me to the funeral and since Sasuke was my best friend, I'd said yes without thinking about it. I really needed Sasuke right now; he was giving me the support I needed. At first that's all it was going to be, he was just going to walk me to the funeral. Then I just _had_ to start crying infront of him, and he didn't want me staying at my house alone. Yes, I was staying at Sasuke's house right now. He'd convinced me into it seeing as his house was a closer walk to where the funeral was taking place. He was worried as well and was mainly concerned about what would happen to me if I stayed alone. No, I would never, I repeat _never,_ kill myself. I'd thought about it, but I could never bring myself to do something like that. And to answer another question, no, Sasuke and I were not together. I loved Deidara, and Sasuke was my best friend. We were going to the Hokage's funeral today so he was really worried about me. He didn't think I could handle the sadness, but as long as he was there with me, I knew I could.

Before I had left the hospital, I'd had a pretty serious talk with Kakashi…about the marks that had been on my skin. He told me it was something called a curse mark, and there were two levels to it; I was at the first level. He'd done some jutsu to seal it, and it'd hurt pretty badly. It'd been worth the pain to seal it away, but he told me that my will power had to stay strong or I'd lose control of it. He'd also told me Sasuke had the same curse mark as I had from Orochimaru. Kakashi had also sealed his away after his preliminary match, and that's why his chakra had changed the way it had back in the exams. Sasuke was having a difficult time controlling it though, according to Kakashi. I didn't think I'd have as a difficult time since I'd been trained under Zabuza, I was a pretty powerful shinobi after all…just not powerful enough to defeat Orochimaru.

"Are you ready to go?" Sasuke asked. I nodded and sighed sadly. "It's okay." He walked across the room to my side and pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly. "Don't cry, it's all going to be fine." I nodded and let him lead me down the hallway by the hand. We arrived in the kitchen, and he looked around for a moment. "Do you want anything to eat before we leave?"

"No, I'm fine." I whispered.

He nodded, and we walked out of the house together. We walked down the street hand in hand, and I finally stopped. I didn't think I could do this…

"Sada-chan?" he questioned. I looked down, hating that I hadn't been able to protect the Hokage, and he hugged me again. "It's alright, be strong." I nodded and pulled back from the embrace.

"The sooner this is over the better." I whispered. He nodded and put his arm around me comfortingly.

"After this we can go back to my house and just talk, alright?"

I nodded in agreement, and we continued walking. We met Sakura and Naruto, and all of us walked there together. I knew they both were afraid of my techniques and all, but we were a team. Maybe this was a chance for us to bond all over again, and hopefully we could get passed all our differences. Today was a horrible day that was filled with sadness, we shouldn't be hating each other. Just standing there, watching the funeral was just as bad as going towards the headstone. It hurt so badly for me...I felt so responsible. Everyone took turns going forward and putting down their flowers. Sasuke walked up with me, and I put my flowers down sadly. I stared at the stone for a moment, and Sasuke led me back towards the crowd. He knew that I was going to cry, I could tell...but he didn't say anything about it. He just stood there and held me while one of the Elders of the village talked about the Hokage and how he would always be remembered.

'Hokage-sama...I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I truly am sorry.'

 _HI NO KUNI_ ( _THE LAND OF FIRE)_

Itachi and Kisame had been traveling towards Konohagakure for the past few days, their objective was to capture the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. Deidara had given them a good amount of information on this particular Jinchuuriki, the amount of chakra he had, his different types of techniques, etc. With one of the Sannin as his sensei though, this mission of their's would be far more difficult to accomplish. As Itachi had said though, every shinobi had a weakness, and Itachi had something in mind that would draw the Sannin away from the Fourth Hokage's legacy. It was lightly raining, and Kisame wasn't pleased about it in the least.

"Why the hell is it raining?" Kisame groaned for the billionth time that hour. Itachi let a short sigh pass through his lips and said with his usual emotionless tone

"I wouldn't know the answer to that Kisame, stop complaining." Kisame nodded a little, adjusting his hat as they walked.

"Of course Itachi-san, since you asked so kindly." he said, grinning a little.

One of the rarest smirks crossed the Uchiha's lips, Kisame was one of the few Akatsuki members he managed to get along with. They had more of a friendship rather than a professional relationship, which was something neither of them complained about. Itachi knew that if his relationship with Kisame was anything like Hidan and Kakuzu's or Sasori and Deidara's, he would wind up killing the former Kirigakure shinobi. They both walked out of the trees together, going to the railing of the stairs, staring at the village. Itachi looked at the village with a blank expression on his face, it was completely falling apart. How had something like this happened, who'd done this? He turned his attention to his taller partner; Kisame crossed his arms over his chest.

"Wonder what happened here." he muttered.

"It's falling apart." Itachi said in an emotionless tone. "I knew this village wasn't meant to last."

"You sound like you're slightly sad about that Itachi-san." Kisame said, not meaning every word. Itachi's face lit up with another small smirk, and he looked over at Kisame.

"No, not sad." he told him. "Just a little surprised it didn't last longer." Kisame smirked in amusement at how uncaring Itachi was about his former home.

"What do you suppose we should do?" Kisame inquired, Itachi continued staring at the village blankly.

"Perhaps we should wait until morning before infiltrating Konohagakure." he said coldly, Kisame nodded in agreement.

"What shall we do until then?" Kisame asked the Uchiha.

"Allow me to gather more strength Kisame. If by chance I must use Mangekyou Sharingan and Tsukiyomi, it will take a good amount of my chakra." he stated, Kisame raised his hat slightly.

"Itachi-san, it's dangerous for you to use those eyes too much." he said, a little concerned for his partner's wellbeing.

Itachi paid no mind to Kisame's comment, closing his eyes in thought. The girl his agent had mentioned to him, he wanted to see if she would really be worth their time. He'd been informed that Orochimaru saw the girl as valuable, so there must've been some sort of hidden ability she possessed. If Orochimaru wanted her, then there had to be a reason behind it. He never targeted normal shinobi, there was always something behind them. Perhaps this girl would be a good trump card for the Akatsuki, first though, they needed to know her abilities.

"Itachi-san." Kisame said, interrupting his partner's thoughts.

"There's something else I wish to look into once in Konohagakure." he said, Kisame raised an eyebrow.

"May I inquire as to what you're talking about?" he asked the Sharingan user.

"My sources have informed me of a…special child in this village. A diamond hidden within rocks." he said, being extremely vague.

Kisame nodded a little, not questioning Itachi any further. If Itachi had found someone he thought would be useful to the Akatsuki, then they most likely would be. He didn't doubt his partner's ability to see the so called "diamond in the rocks." Although he had to wonder, was Itachi serious when he said _child_?


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

" _Sada-chan."_

 _I looked up into a pair of the most beautiful blue eyes, my cheeks going warm at the smirk playing on his lips. I felt my cheeks burn hotter when he leaned his face closer to mine, stopping a few inches short of my lips._

" _N-n-nani Deidara?" I stuttered, he chuckled in amusement._

 _He raised his hand to my face, gently stroking my cheek with his thumb. I smiled a little, feeling his fingers running through my blue violet hair, and looked up at him through my lashes. I could just feel how red my cheeks were, I'd never blushed so much in my entire life. He could do so little, look in my direction, smirk at me, say something so insignificant to me, and it would still make me blush crimson red. He was amazing to me, everything he did was always so perfect. I never thought I'd manage to find someone that made me feel the way Deidara did, but I had. I'd never thought I could love someone so much and in such little time. It felt as if our love had grown to unspeakable measures, no limitations, as if there wasn't anything in the world that could stop the way our love was growing. It felt like it would keep growing, no matter who tried to break it, no matter how they tried to destroy it, they wouldn't succeed. The way we felt about each other, was just something normal people wouldn't be able to understand. It was an artist's love, an explosion of all sorts of different emotions, something beautiful._

 _I swallowed a little when he shifted closer to me, leaning his face closer to mine. In all the time I'd spent with him, I realized how much I appreciated him. I'd never felt this way about anyone before, and I never wanted this feeling to stop. Being with him made me so happy, like my heart was soaring all the time. I'd fallen hard, head over heels, completely and totally in love with him. I could never manage to replace him in my heart, did I want to? Of course not, I didn't want anyone to make me feel this way besides Deidara. He'd changed me, he'd helped me overcome my loneliness. For the first time in four years, I'd actually smiled because of him. He'd managed to get me laugh, to get me smiling, to make me actually happy. I couldn't survive without him, and I knew it. He was the one, the one person precious to me, the one person that I would die to protect...Deidara._

 _I felt my breath hitch in my throat when his lips pressed against mine, a kiss that made my heart skip a beat. I felt my red eyes slip shut as he moved his lips against mine in a soft and gentle kiss, never pushing me to do something I didn't want to do. I smiled against his lips, moving my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers into his beautiful blonde hair. He placed an arm around my waist, moving me into his lap, his fingers running through my hair. I felt him smile into the kiss, gently moving his lips against mine. There were so many things I could tell through this kiss, but the main thing that stood out to me was…that he loved and cared about me just as much as I did for him. I almost pouted feeling him pull out of the kiss, and I looked up at him through my bangs._

" _Dei?" I questioned, he smiled softly._

" _Sada-chan…I love you."_

 _SADA'S HOUSE_

I slowly opened my eyes and yawned tiredly, moving my bangs out of my eyes. What time was it, it felt like it was _too_ early in the morning. I sat up, yawning quietly, and rubbed at my eyes. I'd had a dream about Deidara again, and it was really ruining my mood. I couldn't begin to understand why he'd left me this way, without even saying goodbye; it hurt so badly just thinking about him. I loved Deidara, so much. I'd thought he loved me the same way, but I'd been wrong in my assumptions. Now I was hurting so badly, dealing with all this heartbreak, I'd have to talk to Sasuke about everything I was feeling later. I needed comfort and support right now, especially with everything that had been happening in the past couple of days. I sighed quietly and swung around the side of the bed. I set my feet on the ground, ignoring the cold feeling of the floor, and stood up. I wrinkled my nose, grabbing my hairbrush off my dresser, and ran my brush through my hair without much interest. After brushing my hair for a good couple minutes, I grabbed my black jacket and pulled my arms through the sleeves. I slipped my black gloves on my hands, hating that I'd been so ignorant to release all my mental blocks. I shrugged off the thought and put Haku's necklace on, grabbing the charm bracelet Deidara had given me. Even though he hurt me, I still loved him, and I wanted to somehow hold onto the feeling that he still cared about me.

I smiled a bit, staring over the charms. There were a total of three charms on my bracelet, all of them from the closest people to me. The first charm was a blue butterfly, from Deidara. The second charm was the kanji for love, from Gaara. The third charm was a red heart, from Sasuke. A few days before the final rounds of the exams, Gaara had got me another charm for my bracelet, something to remember him when he went back to Sunagakure. I was thankful that I had a friend like him who understood my loneliness; we would always be there for each other. After the Hokage's funeral, Sasuke had went with me to the jewelry shop and bought me the heart charm for my bracelet. I was happy to have Sasuke always standing beside me as my best friend; he'd never betrayed me or even thought about it. Everyone else in this village, they looked down at me. They didn't like my techniques, and I was looked at like an outcast. I knew they thought I was evil or something from my darkness style jutsu, and that's why I'd never used my kekkei genkai in this village; it was just out of the question. I looked up from my bracelet hearing banging on my door and tilted my head to the side curiously.

'Who could that be?' I walked out of my bedroom down the hallway to my front door. I wrinkled my nose, rubbing at my stinging curse mark from Orochimaru on my left shoulder, and opened the front door.

"Konnichiwa?"

"Sada-chan." Someone hugged me, and I cringed a little bit. "Why didn't you come back to my house?"

It was just Sasuke, now I didn't need to feel so violated. I hadn't managed to go back to his house, no wonder he was being so forward with the hug. I'd gone home to pick something up after the Hokage's funeral, but a rather bad storm had stopped me from returning to Sasuke's house. The power was out and it'd stormed all night, walking around in a storm wasn't a smart idea in the first place. Sasuke understood that, but I knew I'd worried him; I felt pretty bad right now.

"I was worried." Sasuke said honestly. I smiled slightly and hugged him back, happy that I had such a caring friend.

"Gomenasai." I whispered, feeling bad that I'd worried him so much. "The storm just got really bad, and I wasn't thinking you'd worry. Forgive me." He pulled back from the hug and smiled one of his rare smiles at me.

"You've already been forgiven." he told me. I nodded, relieved that he wasn't angry, and he took my hand. "Do you want to get some tea and breakfast?" I nodded in agreement and smiled sweetly.

"I'd like that alot." I replied.

He nodded, looking a little happy that I'd said yes, and we walked down the street together. Sasuke was still holding my hand as we walked down the street, but I didn't see why it was a big deal. Sasuke was my best friend, he'd helped me through so much, and he was still helping me through my problems. Just holding his hand made me feel happy, like nothing could put me down. I looked over at Sasuke, and he glanced in my direction seeing my eyes on him.

"You're smiling alot." he noted. "Are you feeling better than you were yesterday?" I nodded, giggling a little, and hugged his arm.

"Hai." I leaned my head on his shoulder, and he looked at me curiously. "I'm always happy when I'm with you Sasuke-kun. You're my best friend." I told him.

He smiled a little and ran his fingers through my hair. I smiled and straightened up slightly; trying to make sure I didn't make skin contact with him. I didn't want my chakra draining ability to go out of control, I'd hate myself if I hurt Sasuke. Sasuke suddenly stopped, and I looked at him curiously.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Kakashi." he muttered, sounding annoyed. I looked up and sighed seeing the bird flying around, what did Kakashi want _this_ time? "What does he want?"

"You can go ahead and find him. I'll meet you at the Dango shop, okay?" I said quietly. Sasuke looked over at me and shook his head; he didn't look like he was planning on leaving me.

"No, this is our time together. Kakashi can just get over it." Sasuke said, still sounding annoyed.

I smiled at Sasuke's loyalty, and we continued walking down the street together. I couldn't believe he was willing to ignore our sensei just so he could spend time with me. I guessed he thought that we needed to have some time together since he'd been away training for the Exams, I found that rather sweet. He was such an awesome best friend, I was so lucky. We finally made it to Dango Shop after a few more minutes of walking and I saw Kakashi already standing there, talking with Asuma and Kurenai.

"Great." Sasuke muttered, he didn't sound very pleased.

I sighed in disappointment, hating that Kakashi was interrupting our time together. Couldn't he just talk to Sasuke later or something, he'd gotten to spend enough time with him during the month before the final round of the Chunin Exams. Kakashi smiled under his mask at the both of us, but his visible eye seemed mainly focused on us holding hands.

"Konnichiwa Sasuke, Sada." I nodded for my greeting, and Sasuke sighed.

"What gives?" he asked, his eyes slightly narrowed into a glare. "You're never early."

"Sometimes I am." Kakashi said with another smile. I smiled slightly, not wanting to believe that Kakashi could be early, and Sasuke sighed again. "So...let's talk."

"Later." Sasuke said, his annoyed tone wasn't hard to miss. "Right now I'm spending time with Sada-chan." I smiled slightly, happy he was so loyal, and squeezed his hand.

"If it's important then go ahead and talk to him. I'll just go find someone to talk to until you're done." I said quietly, knowing that I really _wouldn't_ associate with anyone. He shook his head and led me into the restaurant by the hand.

"We'll talk later Kakashi." Sasuke said.

I sighed, knowing how stubborn Sasuke could be at times, and looked over hearing the sound of a bell ringing. There were two men sitting at a table together. They both had bamboo hats on with bells on the end, and they wore black cloaks that had a red cloud design on them.

'I like the cloaks, they're pretty cool looking. And the bells look fun, that could definitely keep me entertained for hours.' Sasuke sat down on the inside of our seat, and I sat on the outside. I was still curious about these men, that might've been the reason I sat on the outside.

"So what do you want?" I looked over at Sasuke and shrugged, not really caring too much about breakfast.

"I don't care, you pick." I said softly.

He smiled slightly and entwined our fingers. I smiled a little at the gesture and he put his arm around me, pulling me to lean my head on his shoulder.

"It looks as if Sasuke's found his soul mate." Asuma said to Kakashi.

I felt my cheeks go warm and looked down, slightly embarrassed. I didn't see Sasuke that way, why couldn't people realize that we were just friends?

"Don't pay any attention to them alright?" I smiled at Sasuke, hoping I was right in my guess that he just saw me as a friend, and he moved my bangs out of my eyes. "Why do you hide yourself this way?" he asked, staring down into my eyes.

I sighed, knowing what he meant by that, and he moved his fingers down my cheek. He was staring into my eyes, and he was so focused with _just_ staring at me; I didn't really think either of us were paying attention to what was going on around us. We stared at each other all the time like this, but what made it start to seem uncomfortable was when he cupped my cheek with his hand and leaned in closer to my face. Now _this_ was something I'd hoped would never happen, but it looked like it was about to. And the awful thing was...I wasn't able to stop him from doing it, I'd lost complete use of my vocal chords at this moment. Our lips were so close now, yet I couldn't get the word 'stop' to come out of my mouth. So close, so incredibly close, they were lightly brushing against each other. All he had to do was move a little more and-

'A cough.' I moved backwards in embarrassment, mentally thanking whoever had interrupted, and Sasuke glared at Kakashi.

"Fine, I'm coming." he said angrily. We got up and I smiled slightly, trying to keep the situation from being a little less awkward.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Sasuke nodded, and we walked out of the Dango shop together.

'Where did those men go?' I sighed to myself and began walking around the village. After about fifteen minutes of walking around the village I was as bored as ever, there was nothing to do. I sighed again and looked over hearing Naruto talking to Jiraiya. Well...more like complaining in an _extremely_ loud way. He apparently didn't want to go somewhere with him, it wasn't my business so I wasn't going to eavesdrop; Naruto and I weren't friends anyway. I continued walking down the street, and an Anbu jumped infront of me.

"You're Sada, correct?" he asked. I nodded, wondering what an Anbu wanted from me, and he said "The Elders of the village have asked me to inform you, that before he died, the Hokage made his wishes known that you were to become Chunin." I nodded and smiled slightly.

"Arigato." He nodded and disappeared from sight. I sighed quietly and kept walking.

'Wow...I'm a Chunin. I've got to tell Sasuke.' I ran down the street and looked around, wondering where he would be. 'Perhaps the river, he does go there to think alot.' I nodded to myself and smiled a bit. I turned the corner and looked down the dirt path. Sasuke wasn't there but some people were. Two of them were the men wearing the black cloaks with red clouds, and Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi. They were all standing on the river, it looked like there had been a fight at some point. Kakashi had pushed himself up from the water and was staring at the two men.

"Is it Sasuke?" he asked, panting a bit. The man with the black hair stared at Kakashi and said

"No."

'They're after someone? Who could they be after?' The man with the black hair looked over to the left, and his red eyes fell on me. 'He looks like...Sasuke. His eyes...they're Sharingan.' He looked young, perhaps seventeen or eighteen. His bangs were on either side of his face like Sasuke's, framing his face. It looked like the rest of his hair was pulled back in a low ponytail; I had to admit he was attractive. He was obviously taller than I was since he was older, and he had this rather cold aura coming from him. It was calming to me though, I didn't understand why. I stared back at him, and his partner looked over at me as well.

This man had pale blue skin and a darker blue hair color, his hair was in a funky style sort of like Kakashi's. His eyes were beady and looked white, very small pupils if he had them. It looked like he had gills on either side of his face, and his teeth looked rather pointy. He had a huge sword resting on his shoulder, and he was a good few inches taller than Itachi. He looked like he was somewhere in his mid-twenties, and I was getting a rather aggressive vibe from him. Like…he enjoyed slaughter and carnage. Itachi blinked and finally moved his eyes back to Kakashi.

"You're after Naruto, aren't you?" Kakashi asked. Itachi said nothing, and Kakashi took another shaky breath. "What was the name of that organization you're in...Akatsuki, wasn't it?"

'Akatsuki? What's that?'

"Kisame, we're taking Kakashi-san with us. Make the other two disappear." Kisame smirked and ran towards them with his huge sword; I noted it was halfway covered in bandages.

'Wait a second, that's the same-hada! Zabuza-sama mentioned it when I was with him and Haku, he's one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure.' I gulped, and Gai came out of nowhere. He instructed Kurenai to take Kakashi to a medical squad and for Asuma to cover him.

"We'll hold them off until the Anbu get here." Gai said to Asuma.

"Kisame, stop. This fighting is unnecessary. We're leaving." Itachi said.

"And I was just starting to get excited." Kisame complained. "Demo, oh well." Itachi looked over in my direction again, his face showing a little interest, and the Jounin followed his gaze this time.

"Sada." Kurenai whispered, sounding shocked.

Itachi and Kisame disappeared into the trees, and I ran back in the direction of the village. If these two were after Naruto, I had to find him and warn him of the danger. Yeah, we weren't friends, but he was my teammate. I couldn't let him get hurt or anything, I'd feel awful if something like that happened.

'He's probably at Ichiraku's right now.' I ran to the ramen shop and said

"Where's Naruto?" The old man looked at me and smiled.

"He went off with Jiraiya." he told me. "They went into the little town…"

"Arigato." I said quickly.

I ran off down the street and started looking around for Sasuke. That man...Itachi...he looked just like an older version of Sasuke. He had the Sharingan as well, could they be related? Whatever was going on, I knew I couldn't rescue Naruto on my own, and Sasuke would be the only person willing to help me. I turned the corner and ran right into Sasuke.

"Sada-chan, are you okay?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Sasuke-kun, thank goodness I found you. There are some men in the village, and they're after Naruto." I panicked.

"Nani?" he asked.

"One of them, he has Sharingan." I stated. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in anger, and he nodded.

"We have to find Naruto." he said, sounding cold.

"This way, I know where he's heading." I instructed.

He nodded, and we ran down the streets of the village and out the gates. We ran and ran and ran, until we finally came to where Naruto should be.

"Let's check the hotels." I advised. Sasuke nodded in agreement, and we went all over the place searching hotels, asking if anyone had seen Naruto and Jiraiya.

 _HOTEL_

"We have to have a plan." Sasuke said with no emotion. "I'll attack first using Chidori, and you rescue Naruto."

"No way, I'm not leaving you to fight these guys by yourself. There's no way you'll manage to win." I stated, hating how he was so stubborn.

"I'm only focused on one." he said angrily. "Itachi."

'Sasuke must have some grudge against this Itachi guy, what happened to him that makes him hate Itachi so much?' We turned the corner and stopped seeing two men standing outside the door where Naruto was staying. Naruto was already out in the hallway, staring at Itachi with a look of terror on his face.

"We don't want him running off, perhaps we should chop off a leg." Kisame said with a smirk. Itachi said nothing to stop him, and Kisame raised his same-hada.

"It's been a while...Sasuke." Itachi said.

"Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke muttered. I looked over at Sasuke and back at Itachi.

'They're so similar, they have so many resemblances.' Itachi's eyes moved from Sasuke to me, and I stared at him. 'He really does resemble Sasuke.'

"This is the second time today I've seen a Sharingan user. Who is this guy?" Kisame asked.

"He's my younger brother." Itachi stated, sounding emotionless.

I stared at Itachi, slightly shocked that he was Sasuke's older brother, and looked over at Sasuke. He was glaring at Itachi with such hatred, what had happened with them?

"I heard the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out...by you." Kisame said with a smirk.

My eyes widened in shock, Itachi had killed the entire Uchiha clan by himself? So he was the person Sasuke wanted to kill so badly. No wonder he hated Itachi so much, he'd taken his entire family from him, leaving him alone in the world. Itachi must've been an extremely powerful shinobi. Sasuke's glare deepened and he said

"I've lived for this day, I'm going to _kill_ you." Chidori appeared in his hand, and I moved aside slightly.

"Sasuke-kun."

He ran down the hallway, smashing the side of the building with Chidori, and tried hitting Itachi with it. There was a blinding flash of light, and I looked to see Itachi had stopped Chidori.

'How is that possible? He's so powerful.' Naruto started focusing his chakra, and I smiled slightly. 'He hasn't given up.'

"Too late." Kisame said, slicing through Naruto's chakra. I gasped, and Sasuke screamed. I looked over towards Itachi and to see that he'd broken Sasuke's wrist.

'I have to do something.'

I ran down the hallway towards Sasuke and Naruto, determined to help them. Itachi and Kisame looked in my direction, and Kisame smirked.

"I hope the little girl knows how to dodge." he said, sounding amused.

I narrowed my eyes into a glare and when he slashed at me, I phased through the same-hada. I could just imagine their shocked faces, but I kept going. I grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's arms and pushed them through the floor. I phased through it after them and landed in a heap on the ground.

"Itai." I mumbled.

"Sada, how did you-" Naruto started.

"No time to explain, just get up." I said quickly. He nodded and pushed himself to his feet, most likely thinking it was some jutsu shinobi used on a daily basis. "Sasuke-kun, get up."

I helped Sasuke to his feet, and he looked at me curiously. He was wondering about my kekkei genkai as well since I'd never explained it to him, there wasn't time to explain it though, it was dangerous here. We'd rescued Naruto, now we had to get out of here.

"Arigato." Sasuke said. I nodded, and we ran down the hallway.

"We can't stop, we have to get out of here. That blue guy is one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure, his sword eats chakra. That's what it did to you Naruto." I told him. Naruto nodded, not seeming like he understood the concept that well, and we continued running down the hallway.

"Which way should we go?" Naruto asked.

"Left." Sasuke replied. We nodded and got ready to go left. We skid to a stop seeing Itachi and Kisame come left and right. We were surrounded.

'My chakra is getting low from the phasing, but if I can get Naruto and Sasuke out of here…then I guess my last bit of chakra is worth it.' We backed into the wall and stared at them surrounding us.

"Now the real question is, should I chop off their legs or arms." Kisame said with an evil smirk.

I looked over at Itachi once and moved my eyes back to Kisame. They both were looking at the three of us like we weren't a threat, that was a mistake on their part. I grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's hand and pulled them backwards before pushing them through the wall. It didn't take me that much chakra to phase myself, but it took a little _too_ much for me to phase other people.

'They should be outside the building now, hopefully they can get away.' I quickly turned around and stared at the shinobi standing around me.

"How is she doing that?" Kisame pondered.

Itachi continued staring at me and finally walked closer. I attempted to phase through the wall, but when I phased other people it took too much of my chakra away so I couldn't phase; I was trapped. Itachi stood right infront of me and stared down at me. I bit my lower lip, not knowing what to do, and Kisame said

"So, would you like me to finish her off?"

"No." Itachi said with a cold tone. "Leader-sama would be interested in what she can do; we're taking her with us."

My mind went blank, and I stared at him slightly terrified. He wanted to take me with them? What was I supposed to do? I brought my fist back and attempted to punch him. He easily caught it and slammed my arm against the wall. I stopped myself from letting out the gasp of pain, feeling his fist make contact with my stomach, and stared at him with as little emotion as I could muster. Itachi never took his eyes from mine, and I couldn't help but stare up into his eyes. His Sharingan, it was amazing, I knew the power of the Uchiha clan was something that no other clan could match.

"My sources have informed me that Orochimaru is interested in this girl." Itachi said with no emotion "If she's valuable enough that Orochimaru wants her, she must have power; we _are_ taking her with us."

"So this is the child you were talking about earlier then Itachi-san?" Kisame inquired, Itachi nodded.

I moved my other hand to punch him since he wasn't really paying attention, and he grabbed that one as well. He slammed it against the wall above my head and closed his eyes. He focused for a moment and slowly opened his eyes.

"Mangekyou Sharingan." Everything seemed to go still for a moment, and I looked around. I was in an entirely different world, it was so dark in here; what was this place? "Tsukiyomi."

I gasped and quickly turned around; Itachi was standing there, staring at me with an emotionless face. I walked backwards and felt something stab my side. I gasped and bit my lip.

'This isn't real; it's genjutsu, that's all.' I took a breath, and he stabbed me again. I scrunched my nose and held in the scream I wanted to let out.

"You don't scream, scream." I glared at him and bit the inside of my jaw, I wasn't screaming for anyone. He stabbed me again, and I let out a gasp of pain.

'This doesn't seem like any ordinary genjutsu.'

"It's because it's not." Itachi said coldly.

I looked towards Itachi and attempted to get up to run. I couldn't move, I was trapped. I felt my heart racing, and it seemed to be getting harder to breathe. He grabbed my hair and ran a kunai along my neck, cutting through the skin but luckily not the vein. I whimpered, and he gave me an emotionless look.

"Here I control space, time, everything." he said with the same emotionless tone.

I stared up at him as he continued stabbing me and torturing me, trying to keep in the scream I wanted to let out. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream. Everything slowly began dissolving, and I heard

"She doesn't scream."

I opened my eyes slowly and looked to see nothing had changed. It looked as if they hadn't even moved; what had happened? Had Itachi been serious?

"You know you shouldn't use those eyes too much Itachi-san." Kisame said.

He ignored Kisame's comment and continued staring down at me. My knees felt so weak, that world really messed me up. He let go of my wrists, and I dropped to the floor. I stared up at them dazed, and Itachi said

"Let's go. Grab the girl."

"Don't even try it!"

'Sasuke?' Itachi punched Sasuke, and he went flying across the room. I glanced up, even though it hurt to do so, and watched as Sasuke and Itachi battled. Well...it wasn't really a battle. Sasuke was losing, he was losing _very_ badly.

"Hang on Sada. We'll save you."

'Naruto?'

"Ero-sennin, help them." The entire room became covered in what looked like organs or something, and Itachi stopped fighting Sasuke.

"Kisame, grab the girl." Itachi ordered.

Kisame nodded and moved his arm around my waist. I felt the ground disappear beneath me, and I was slung over his shoulder. I blinked, trying to clear my groggy vision, and looked at Jiraiya's jutsu surrounding the room.

"Kuso." Kisame cursed.

"Kisame, come." Itachi said. Kisame nodded and followed behind Itachi down the hallway.

"Sada!" Naruto yelled.

I could see Jiraiya's jutsu following behind us, but my brain felt so groggy. My eyes were blurring, and my limbs felt numb. I felt my eyes slip shut, I felt so tired and weak. I could hear all sorts of sounds running together, getting further away. Against my own will, I passed out.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

* * *

 _HI NO KUNI_

I could hear footsteps, the cracking of twigs under me, the crunching of leaves. I could hear the wind howling a little, my hair was blowing around my face. I could feel my body swaying a little bit, like I wasn't on solid ground, what was going on? I tiredly opened my eyes, my red orbs falling on the ground. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my blurring vision. The ground was moving under me, but I wasn't on the ground. I felt like I was in the air, that's when I realized it, I was being carried by someone. I moved my eyes away from the ground, trying to see who was carrying me from their back.

'Black cloak with red cloud designs…is that bandages?' I curiously moved my hand to the bandaged looking thing and yelped feeling something rough come in contact with my skin. I phased through the person's shoulder, landing face first in the dirt. I moved my face out of the dirt, grabbing my wrist of my injured hand. It was drenched in blood from whatever I'd touched, it looked like the top layer of skin had been shaved off. It wasn't lethal or anything, there were eight layers of skin on a person's body anyway, and the skin would grow back…eventually. I stared at the blood soaking through my ruined glove and felt something heavy being placed on my back, it felt like a sandal.

"Stupid girl, what the hell're you doing?" an angry voice snapped, digging his sandal harder into my back.

I yelped again, not appreciating how rude this person was being to me. I managed to force myself to phase through his foot and crawled a little way away from him, making sure not to get my injured hand in the dirt; I didn't want it to get infected after all. I dropped face first back into the dirt, my limbs didn't want to work properly. I could tell that I didn't have alot of chakra left, not enough to phase anymore, and it didn't take that much for me to phase in the first place so I knew my body was rather weak. I could feel the sandal make contact with my back again, and I let out a soft cry of pain; this hurt like hell.

"Kisame," a monotone voice said. "Enough."

The person who had their sandal lodged in my back grumbled a bit but removed it nonetheless. I let out a sigh of relief, happy that there was someone here that realized how injured I was, and clenched my hands. I attempted to push myself up using my fists; I _really_ didn't want this injury on my hand to get infected. My arms made it halfway before they gave out, and my face dropped back down in the dirt. I whimpered a bit, hating that I was in a situation where I was utterly defenseless, and unclenched my hands. I could feel blood sliding down my palm; my hand must've been a mess.

"The girl won't manage to escape in her condition, we'll rest here for the time being." the same monotone voice said.

"Very well Itachi-san."

I heard a little bit of movement some distance away me; I guessed the man had sat down or something. I closed my eyes tiredly, trying to think about everything going on around me. So many questions were going through my head. What had happened, where was I, who were these men I was with, and what was I doing with them in the first place? I took a slow breath, trying to use my brain. Just because my limbs were tired and useless right now, didn't mean my brain was useless…it was just tired. I remembered I'd went with Sasuke to the Dango shop to get some tea and breakfast, and Kakashi had dragged Sasuke away to talk to him about something or another before we'd even got to order any food. I'd went walking around the village, and an Anbu informed me that I made Chunin. After that, I ran around trying to find Sasuke so I could tell him, and I went to the river. There were people there, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai…they'd been fighting two people…two people that were after Naruto. I remembered running off with Sasuke to find Naruto to warn him of the danger, but the people beat us there, people wearing black cloaks with red clouds. One of the men had looked like…Sasuke.

'Now I remember, one was Sasuke's older brother, Uchiha Itachi. The other was Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the former Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure. Wait though…did they…kidnap me?' I swallowed nervously, forcing myself to remember the sound of Itachi and Kisame's voices compared to the men here. 'They're exactly the same…they _did_ kidnap me. Where are they taking me, what use could I be to them, I'm just thirteen. Yeah, I trained under Zabuza-sama for a good three/four years of my life, but I'm not at the level of an S-Ranked Criminal or something. What do these people want from me?' I opened my eyes when I remembered that Itachi had said that their leader would be interested in what I could do. He also had said something to Kisame about how Orochimaru was after my abilities; he was merely assuming that I had power though. I knew I was powerful for my age, training under Zabuza had given me a big advantage compared to others my age, but what use could I be to S-Ranked Criminals?

I managed to move half of my face out of the dirt when I heard footsteps approaching me. All I could see was sandals, white leg warmers, the bottom part of the cloak, light purple toenails, ivory looking skin…it was Itachi. I groaned a bit when his foot moved under my stomach, turning me over on my back. I stared up into a pair of onyx eyes, emotionless onyx eyes, they were nothing like Sasuke's; I couldn't believe that he was Sasuke's older brother. Sure they looked alike with their onyx eyes, black hair, and facial features. Emotion wise though…they were polar opposites. Sasuke was cold on the outside to people, but he was warm on the inside. Itachi, I could tell he was cold on both the outside and the inside. I swallowed, trying to get the dry lump out of my throat, and he crouched down next to me. I stared up at him, feeling terrified of what he was planning on doing to me, and he took my injured hand. I stared up into his eyes, feeling a little curious as to why he wasn't being rough with me since he was evil and all, and he moved his eyes away from mine to inspect my injury. He pulled off my ruined glove, still holding onto my wrist, and tossed it to the ground.

"She touched your same-hada." Itachi stated, sounding cold. I heard Kisame make a 'humph' noise in reply to Itachi, he didn't sound very happy about that.

"Stupid girl." I heard him mutter, I didn't even have the energy to glare in his direction. "How bad's her hand Itachi-san?"

"It looks as though her first layer of skin has been shaven off." Itachi replied emotionlessly, Kisame made a humph noise again.

"Stupid girl." he repeated. I moved my eyes to Itachi's face, studying his expression, still emotionless.

"Kisame, bandages." Itachi ordered in a monotone voice.

I heard some footsteps, some crunching leaves, and watched a hand hold bandages out to Itachi. Itachi took the bandages without so much as a thank you, and Kisame walked back to his seat against a tree. I could see his appearance from here; he really did resemble a shark. With the gill looking things on the side of his face, pointy teeth, beady eyes, and pale blue skin; he looked like he should be a shark. I turned my attention to Itachi feeling him roughly wipe at the blood on my hand, I yelped in pain. He gave me a cold look and I sealed my lips, trying not to make another sound. At least he was being kind enough to take care of my injury, even if he was being careless about it. I heard a chuckle come from a little ways away, Kisame, was he amused that I was in pain or something? I turned my attention to Itachi, feeling bandages wrapping around my hand. I laid there quietly, making sure not to make another sound, even when he roughly tied the bandages around my hand.

He let my hand drop to my side and moved up from his crouching position, walking away from my side. I watched his feet and saw him sit across from Kisame, his back pressed against the tree. I stared at him, his eyes were closed, he seemed tired. I moved my gaze to Kisame, he was watching Itachi, I couldn't really tell what emotion was on his face.

"Itachi-san." Itachi didn't open his eyes or even react to Kisame's words, but Kisame continued. "How long do you believe we can stay in this area, we're still in Hi no Kuni."

"We still have quite a way to go before reaching Amegakure." Itachi stated, his eyes remaining closed. "Perhaps it would be in our best interest to pass through the River Country and make our journey to Amegakure through there, Konohagakure will more than likely send Anbu to take the girl from us."

His eyes flicked open, moving across the forest floor to me. I had a feeling I looked rather innocent right about now, all because I was terrified. I had no idea what these men wanted from me, or what they were planning on doing to me so I had a right to be afraid. I could feel another pair of eyes on me so I broke the staring contest with Itachi and moved my eyes to Kisame. His lips curved up into a smirk, revealing some of his sharp teeth. I felt myself flinch a little in terror, and the shark shinobi chuckled.

"At least we got one prize to make up for our failed attempt to capture the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." Kisame said, chuckling again.

I whimpered a bit, lowering my eyes to the ground. What did these men want from me? What use could I be to them? I didn't understand why _I_ was always the person that got kidnapped or taken away, it _always_ happened to me. First I got thrown into that little prison when I was a child, then I was traded to Orochimaru, then I was rescued and taken Konohagakure, and now I was kidnapped by two members of some organization called Akatsuki. My life really had always been a whole bunch of fun.

"Speaking of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, perhaps contacting Leader-sama is in order." Itachi's voice snapped me out of my thoughts; I watched Kisame nod at the suggestion...or whatever it was.

"Leader-sama won't be happy about this." he said, scratching the back of his head.

Itachi gave a short nod in agreement and closed his eyes. I watched Kisame close his eyes as well, how were they supposed to contact their leader with their eyes closed? Could they communicate with him telepathically? I watched them for a while and tried moving myself into a sitting position when I figured they weren't really paying attention to me. I dropped back down against the ground, groaning a little at the pain in my back now. I was screwed; there was no way I was going to manage to escape from these guys. I looked back in their direction and watched them again, their eyes opened after a few more minutes.

"You made a good call, taking the girl Itachi-san." Kisame stated, moving his gaze to me. "Leader-sama seems interested in her." Itachi gave a short nod and moved to his feet.

"Kisame, grab the girl. We're going."

I blinked at the order Itachi had given, staring at the former Kirigakure shinobi approaching me. I stared up at the shark-like man, groaning quietly when he kicked me to lying on my stomach. He could've been a little gentler with me; didn't he realize how badly I was injured or something? That Tsukiyomi genjutsu of Itachi's had really messed up my body, didn't he realize how much it hurt me to move, let alone get kicked that roughly?

"Stupid girl." he mumbled, moving his arm under me.

I was placed over his shoulder and wrinkled my nose angrily; my stomach was killing me from where Itachi had punched me earlier that day...or yesterday. I didn't really know what day it was, how long had I been unconscious? But there was the punch that had killed my stomach, and the fact that I hadn't had anything to eat all day, my stomach was cramping and killing me. I wasn't very pleased that my stomach kept coming in collision with his shoulder as he walked, I was dying of starvation. I swallowed and closed my eyes tiredly, knowing there was no way to fight against him in my physical condition. I relaxed my muscles, trying to rest myself as much as possible. If I could just get some more chakra then perhaps I'd be able to phase once the pain in my body disappeared. After that happened then I'd be able to run through the forest back to Konohagakure, phasing through them when they grabbed at me or cornered me. It was the perfect plan, only Orochimaru had learned how to stop my phasing and I doubted that he released that information to any other shinobi. He wanted my abilities for himself, and I knew he wasn't willing to risk losing them to any other shinobi. I just needed to be patient and rest myself.

* * *

 _THE BORDER OF HI NO KUNI AND THE RIVER COUNTRY_

After what seemed like hours' worth of traveling, I could sense some chakra following behind us, not far. I looked up from the ground, staring around the area. The chakra I was sensing was decent, it was around the level of Kakashi's chakra so I was guessing it was Anbu. I could sense about four people, so Konohagakure cared about me enough to send _one_ Anbu squad after me? They were seriously underestimating Itachi and Kisame, either that or they didn't want me back. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, the people of Konohagakure looked down on me because of my abilities. I'd definitely be hurt if they weren't trying to rescue me, was I just looked down on so much that they sent only one squad of Anbu to "rescue" me? I lowered my eyes, beginning to feel like I didn't care if I was rescued or not, and heard a voice say

"Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame. That's as far as you go. Hand over the girl and come quietly or be killed."

I almost rolled my eyes; these Anbu must've been a bunch of morons. They should've stayed hidden and tried to attack them, had they? Of course not, why do they logical thing when you can be a complete and total baka? Good job Konohagakure shinobi, here's a gold star for a job well done. I groaned in pain when my body made contact with the hard ground. I drug half my face out of the dirt and watched Kisame pull his same-hada off his back.

"Kisame, take care of them." Itachi ordered in a monotone voice.

"With pleasure." Kisame said, smirking.

I watched Kisame disappear from sight and stared across the ground. I watched the feet moving, listened as kunai clashed, a few yells in pain, then silence. I heard Kisame humph and watched him walk across the ground towards me. He not-so-gently lifted me off the ground and slung my body over his shoulder like a rag doll.

"That was no fun at all." Kisame complained, following behind Itachi. "They were weak as hell." Itachi made a noise that sounded like a chuckle of amusement.

"I'm surprised they haven't sent more shinobi after us. They obviously don't know how valuable this girl is." Itachi said, sounding emotionless again; I guessed he didn't stay entertained by stuff like that for long.

"Obviously." Kisame mumbled. I coughed when his shoulder collided with my stomach again, I needed food so badly. "Shut up girl." Kisame growled.

I shut my mouth as commanded, not understanding why he was being such an asshole towards me. I hadn't made a sound throughout their traveling, and he was _still_ being a prick. What was his deal?

"Will the Konohagakure shinobi follow us now that we're in the River Country?" Kisame inquired, grabbing my attention.

"They may attempt to." Itachi answered monotonely…again. "They would need permission from the Feudal Lord, and that may take days for them to receive a reply. By that time, we'll have been in Amegakure for a few days. There would be no point for them to infiltrate the River Country." I heard Kisame chuckle a little, sounding amused.

"Just another day." Kisame said, sounding a little relieved.

I felt my heart sink, a day. We'd be in Amegakure in just a day's journey? So we must've been traveling for at least two days…no wonder I was so hungry. I hadn't eaten in three days or so, I was surprised my stomach wasn't whining and grumbling about wanting food. Right on cue my stomach made a gurgling sound, but neither of them seemed to notice it over the howling of the wind. I guessed I was a little thankful for the wind, my cheeks were feeling warm in embarrassment; good thing they hadn't heard it.

"It wouldn't take long for them to send a message to the Feudal Lord though, asking them to keep a lookout for us. We'll have to make sure to keep out of sight." Itachi stated.

"We forgot to mention to Leader-sama about Jiraiya knowing about the Akatsuki." Kisame said, sounding annoyed.

I tilted my head to the side a bit, this had caught my attention. So that's how Kakashi had found out about these Akatsuki guys, from Jiraiya. I was surprised that they were discussing things like this infront of me, they must've not seen me as a threat. Who would, I was just a little girl…compared to them I mean. Either that or they knew I wasn't going to escape from them, so they found no harm in discussing this stuff infront of me. I'd been listening to their conversations for hours, and they'd never hesitated in their speaking.

"This was unexpected." Itachi said emotionlessly. "Konohagakure will be sure to alert the other hidden villages about us, Leader-sama won't be pleased about this." I could feel Kisame nod in agreement.

"This will make all our jobs more difficult." Kisame stated. "We may need to lay low for a while."

"Perhaps." Itachi said with a monotone voice. "Not all villages are allied with Konohagakure though, it may take them quite a while to send information concerning the Akatsuki to the rest of the villages. It would be an unwise decision now, seeing as they are without a Hokage, and the village itself is in ruins." Kisame sighed and said

"First we discover that filthy traitor Orochimaru's leaking information about us, and now Konohagakure knows."

I felt my eyes widen in shock, Orochimaru had been in the Akatsuki at one point in time? I couldn't believe it, but at the same time I could. Orochimaru was an evil man and powerful. The Akatsuki seemed like quite the powerful group of shinobi, I'd never seen people like Itachi and Kisame with such high chakra levels. Zabuza had been powerful sure, but he didn't compare to Orochimaru. Now I knew that there was someone more powerful than Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi. This was…unbelievable. I'd wanted revenge on that monster for so long, and I'd finally met someone more powerful than him. Perhaps Itachi would kill Orochimaru for "leaking information" like Kisame had said, I wouldn't have to live in fear everyday if that happened. I was always terrified that Orochimaru would come back and somehow drag me back to Otogakure. It'd almost happened during the Chunin Exams, I'd been lucky to escape him like I had. That curse mark that he'd given me had actually been a bad move for him to make, it'd been the reason why I'd escaped from him. If he hadn't given it to me…I didn't want to think what would be happening to me right now.

I shuddered at the thought, closing me eyes tiredly. Night had fallen all around us, there was no way I could see anything, and I didn't have the chakra to do the night vision jutsu. There was no point in keeping my eyes open, I might as well close my eyes and save some of the little energy I had. I let a quiet sigh pass through my lips, trying not to make any noise. I didn't want Kisame snapping at me again, he wasn't all that nice. I opened my eyes hearing a sound, it sounded like water. I stared down, smiling a little bit. They were walking on water now, could we have gotten a little closer to our destination while I was daydreaming or…whatever I'd been doing. I didn't feel like I'd just woken up, but my limbs still didn't want to work all the way. Eh, I didn't need to question it. If we were almost there then so be it, I wanted to lie down and get some food to eat. Kisame's shoulder was still assaulting my sore stomach, couldn't he be a little more considerate to-

"She's becoming a bother; you carry her for a bit Itachi-san." Kisame said, I heard a soft sigh.

"Very well, hand her over." Itachi's monotone voice said. I felt my body being moved from Kisame's shoulder, and I was placed in someone's arms. I looked up into a pair of onyx eyes, Itachi's eyes. "I'm surprised you're still awake."

I didn't respond, I couldn't find the courage to do so. I was a little surprised when Itachi didn't sling me over his shoulder, he carried me bridal style, at least he was a little more of a gentleman than Kisame.

"You're serious, she's still awake?" Kisame asked, sounding a little surprised. I blinked when his eyes found mine. "No struggling or anything, what's this kid's deal?" I didn't say anything, but Itachi said

"The effects of Tsukiyomi have most likely not worn off."

I lowered my eyes when Itachi moved his gaze to me, since that was the only thing I could manage to do. He was right about that genjutsu of his still affecting me, I wasn't gaining back any chakra it seemed, and it felt like my limbs still didn't want to work.

"I gotta say, you're quite stubborn then girl. Not falling unconscious, some of the most powerful shinobi are weaklings against Itachi-san's techniques." Kisame told me. I blinked, keeping my gaze locked on my black jeans.

"We'll run the rest of the way." Itachi stated, after a few minutes of silence. It sounded like the decision was final when he said it, like he knew Kisame wouldn't protest.

"Hai Itachi-san." Kisame said. "Leader-sama wants us back tonight."

Had the reason they'd been quiet because their leader had contacted them? Itachi nodded in agreement and looked down at me. My red eyes met his onyx ones, and he stared at me with an emotionless look.

"Close your eyes, and do not open them until told otherwise." he said to me, I gave him a blank look. Why did he want me to shut my eyes? "Unless you'd rather get sick."

 _That_ made me shut my eyes, there was no way I was going to get even more sick to my stomach. I heard a chuckle come from Kisame, he seemed amused at my absolute fear of getting sick. The stuck up jerk, what was his problem? I moved my face into Itachi's cloak absentmindedly, managing to grab a hold of the material with my ungloved hand. Next thing I knew, wind was howling even louder around us. That's when I could tell they were running, and damn could they move fast. I kept my eyes closed as instructed by Itachi, not even thinking about opening them. My stomach was already in a mess as it was, with not having food in days and being physically assaulted. There was no way my stomach could handle getting sick by this extremely fast travel, there was no way I'd allow myself to get sick. I couldn't handle it, I just wanted to sleep.

We traveled for what felt like hours, I couldn't really tell any difference in time. Seconds, minutes, hours. It all just seemed to blend together; maybe we'd only traveled for thirty minutes rather than three hours. I didn't really know, time was just out of my reach. I drifted in and out of sleep, but I never opened my eyes when I came back to the conscious world. One reason was because I didn't want to get sick from this fast travel. Another reason was because I was terrified of what Itachi would do to me if I opened my eyes without express permission from him. I was surprised he carried me as long as he did, in my conscious part of the travel he hadn't complained once about carrying me or ordered Kisame to carry me the rest of the way. It felt like, he didn't even recognize my presence, that or he just didn't see me as a burden like Kisame had. I was thankful Itachi had continued carrying me; he seemed a little more careful about my injuries than Kisame had. Or maybe he just hadn't wanted to put me over his shoulder. Whatever the reason I was happy for it, I wasn't being treated like a slab of meat anymore…kind of. I felt the world around me come to a slowing speed, and Itachi said

"We'll walk from here."

So did that mean we were close to their headquarters? I swallowed, feeling a little nauseous, but didn't open my eyes. Itachi hadn't told me I could so I wasn't planning on disobeying him and getting myself hit. I relaxed my muscles, feeling a little better for the first time since I'd woken up to find myself with them, and took some deep slow breathes. I felt like I could actually sleep now, comfortably sleep. I'd worry about food and all the rest of that stuff tomorrow. For now, I just wanted to sleep a little bit.

"Do you think Leader-sama would want us to bring her to him immediately, Itachi-san?" Kisame inquired, not sounding very interested with his own question. There was silence for a moment, I mentally prayed Itachi would say no.

"She's about to pass out as it is, I believe Leader-sama would rather see her tomorrow." Itachi answered in his cool tone. Kisame made a humph sound and said boredly

"This girl's abilities better be worth it."

"She delayed our capture of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." Itachi stated, I couldn't hear the crunching of leaves anymore. "Her ability is useful, there's nothing like this in the world."

"Very true." Kisame agreed, it sounded like metal was under their feet. "No wonder Orochimaru wants the girl, attacks against her are useless-"

"When her chakra lasts." Itachi corrected, still sounding emotionless. "She was defenseless after her chakra declined, with the right amount of training she could be a valuable agent to us." Kisame made a sound that sounded like he was agreeing with Itachi.

"Her chakra suggests that she's not of normal Chunin level, perhaps a lower level Jounin." Kisame said, sounding like he was guessing a little.

"Mid-ranged Jounin." Itachi said monotonely. "She's not normal." Kisame chuckled in amusement.

"How many of us are?" he jested. "That fucking Hidan's immortal."

"If attacked in the correct way, even he would meet his demise." Itachi said coldly, Kisame chuckled again.

"It sounds as though you've thought about that before, Itachi-san." Kisame said, sounding a little amused.

"Everyone has their weaknesses, even those who claim to be immortal." Itachi retorted. I couldn't feel wind brushing against my skin anymore, were we inside their headquarters now?

"Where shall we keep her?" Kisame inquired. Silence, for at least a good minute before Itachi said

"The vacant room nearest to the training room."

"Which is still a good distance away from the training room, it's closer than the rest of ours though." Kisame mumbled. "You'll be able to watch her?"

"She won't be able to run, not in her condition. She needs a few more days for her body to heal." Itachi said with an emotionless tone.

I heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps across what sounded like…a wooden floor maybe. I felt my body fall through the air and make impact with something soft. My eyes shot open in surprise and immediately met a pair of onyx ones, Itachi's eyes. He was staring down at me with such an emotionless look, I could barely make out his outline in the dark room. A quiet whimper escaped my throat at his menacing glare and Itachi turned on his heel, heading for the door. I heard the door shut behind him and a click, so they'd locked me in had they? I wasn't surprised, I was a captive here. I sighed quietly and managed to force my body to roll on its side. I was lucky my head had landed against a pillow, I wouldn't have been able to move anymore if I wanted to. I was so tired; I was at this moment, more thankful for a bed than ever before. I let my eyes slip shut and completely relaxed my muscles. I didn't even notice when I slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please review and let me know what you thought. Subscribe to my story alert when you want to know when the next chapter is posted. Also, if you haven't read the original Beautiful Tragedy, please do. I working on finishing it's sequel Sin right now so please check out my other work! Thanks, lots of love!  
**


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE; AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS_

I slowly opened my eyes feeling a hand placed against my shoulder, a hand I wasn't familiar with. I whimpered quietly, terrified of whoever was touching me, and looked up into a pair of orange eyes. The eyes were giving me a rather sympathetic look, a caring look…a motherly look? I blinked, forcing myself to look at this person's face as a whole rather than just their eyes. It was a woman, she was sitting on the edge of my bed next to me. Her hair was a very gorgeous blue color, part of it was pulled up into a high bun sitting atop her head, while the rest hung down. She was wearing a purplish color eye-shadow, which was the only makeup she was wearing, and she had a paper flower in her hair. The flower reminded me a bit of origami, it was a rather pretty flower. She had a facial piercing as well, under her lip, a labret. She was wearing a black cloak with the red cloud pattern, the same cloak as Kisame and Itachi. Was this cloak their uniform or something? She was quite beautiful as well, and the look in her eyes was, well…comforting to me. I blinked again, trying to think of something to say to her, but nothing really came to mind. She smiled at me and said with a kind tone

"So you're the girl Itachi-san and Kisame-san brought back."

I nodded a little, realizing that my limbs weren't in that much pain anymore. I was thankful my body had healed a little more, that travel must've been the reason my body wasn't healing all that well. I'd been unconscious with them for at least a couple of days and conscious for one day, with nothing to eat either. They hadn't even bothered to think that I needed food, how could they forget that people needed to eat? Her smile widened a little bit, and I watched her take a strand of my hair between her fingers. She smiled softly while examining my hair and said

"I apologize for their rudeness, I have a feeling they weren't polite to you. Were they?"

I shook my head, agreeing with her, and she let my hair drop back in place. She looked like it didn't surprise her that they weren't nice to me, she must've known them rather well…or how they acted towards captives.

"Your hair is quite beautiful by the way, the color is very gorgeous." she told me.

I smiled a little, happy that she was so kind, and she patted the top of my head. It seemed like a motherly gesture, I wouldn't know since I didn't really remember my mother all that well, I hadn't had a female adult figure in my life for a good number of years.

"You must be hungry huh?" I nodded, I was starving. It felt like my insides were going to explode. "I'll bring you some food, stay right there and don't move around too much." she advised, knowing my body must've needed more healing.

I nodded, watching her get up from the bed, and exit the room. I curled on my side, feeling a little happy that there was a female in this place, at least I wouldn't be feeling so alone. Itachi and Kisame didn't seem like good companions for me. They were too independent acting, cold, and not to mention uncaring. They'd thrown me around like I was some type of rag doll all throughout their traveling. Sure Itachi had taken care of my hand, but he wasn't careful with it when he'd put the bandages on. But he'd been rather careful with my stomach; at least he cared enough to not throw me over his shoulder like Kisame had. I hoped I wouldn't be seeing them for a while; I was perfectly content with staying locked in this room by myself. I flicked my eyes to the door, hearing it open, and smiled at the blue haired woman. She chuckled a little at my smile and closed the door behind her. She walked to my side, sitting next to me on the bed, and held some chopsticks to my mouth. It looked like sushi was between the two sticks, did I care? Of course not, sushi was amazing food, and _I was starving_. I immediately opened my mouth, letting her feed the food to me, even though I had enough strength to feed myself. She giggled a little, moving the chopsticks out of my mouth to grab some more of the sushi.

"They didn't feed you on the way here, did they?" she asked, I nodded agreeing. She let a sigh pass through her lips and fed me another bite of the food. "You poor dear, your body must be a mess." I nodded, chewing the food, and she smiled a little bit. "Don't worry; I'll take care of you for the time being."

I felt a smile come to my lips, happy to have someone that cared about me in a place like this, it seemed rather ruthless. She fed me another bite of sushi, saying

"My name's Konan." I nodded, I liked her name. "May I know your name?"

I lowered my eyes, not really wanting to speak just yet, and flicked my eyes up to her face. She gave me a reassuring smile, holding the chopsticks to my mouth; I guessed this was her way of letting me know that I didn't have to talk unless I wanted to. I glanced back up at her face and whispered

"Sada." I quickly took the food into my mouth, blushing a little in embarrassment. Konan giggled quietly and nodded.

"It seems your name suits you rather well." she said, sounding sweet. I felt the blush on my cheeks darken, taking another bite of the sushi. "How does your body feel?" I took the last bite of food and glanced up at her through my bangs. "Do you think you can walk, I'm sure Pein wants to see you." I tilted my head to the side confused like, who was Pein? "He's the leader of the Akatsuki." Konan told me, understanding that I didn't have a clue who she was talking about. "You'll have to refer to him as Leader-sama though." I nodded a little bit, playing with a strand of my hair with my fingers nervously. "I know you must be nervous, but don't worry. I'll stay with you, that sound good?" I immediately nodded, happy to have her company rather than Kisame or Itachi's, and she smiled a little bit. "Okay, come on then."

I nodded a little, feeling alot better now that I had food in my body, and managed to push myself into a sitting position. Konan stood up from the bed, dropping the paper plate into the trashcan next to my bed, and watched me as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I set my feet on the ground, pushing myself up from the mattress, and Konan smiled at me.

"Let's go Sada-chan." I felt my cheeks go warm at the suffix she'd added to my name, and she giggled a little at my blush. "You're so sweet, it'll be nice to have some innocence around this place." she said, ruffling my hair.

I pouted a little, not really understanding what she was talking about, and followed her to the door. She opened the door, walking out without hesitation, and I followed behind her nervously. She'd protect me here…right? I grabbed onto some of the material of her cloak, moving as close to her as I could, and she smiled down at me.

"Don't be afraid, I won't let anything happen to you." she promised, I nodded. "After we visit Pein, how about we get you some more food, maybe something else to change into."

I glanced down at my clothes, not understanding what Konan was talking about, and felt a frown sit itself on my lips. My clothes were filthy, torn to shreds, there was no way they were usable now. I glanced up at her through my bangs again, and she smiled a little.

"It's fine dear, you'll need to get a shower before you change too…anything in particular you'd like?" she asked, I smiled at her kindness. I shook my head, not really wanting anything specific, but then realized…I needed gloves.

"Black gloves." I whispered, she giggled a bit.

"I meant pants and shirts but alright, I'll get those for you too." she said, sounding a little amused. I felt a smile tug at my lips at her tone of voice and continued following her down the hallway, still clinging to her cloak. "I'll see if I can find some black jeans for you, slightly baggy?" I nodded in agreement, I didn't like my jeans too tight nor too baggy. "I think a different color shirt though…maybe a red shirt to go with your eyes?" I smiled a little bit at the idea; I'd never thought to get a red shirt before. "Some new fishnet leggings for under your jeans, another black jacket…how would you like a long-sleeved fishnet top to go under your red shirt?"

I nodded enthusiastically, happy that she was so kind. She giggled a little at how energetic I was acting over clothes of all things and stopped in front of a door. I stopped with her, looking up at her curiously. She smiled a little, gently patting my head before knocking on the door. There wasn't a reply for a moment before cold voice said

"Enter."

I swallowed, trying to get the lump out of my throat, and Konan opened the door. She walked inside the dark room without a second thought and I followed her, hiding behind her as best I could. The door shut on its own and I jumped a little, hearing the loud slam. Konan smiled slightly, putting a hand around my shoulders, and pulled me to stand infront of her. I swallowed as she placed both her hands on my shoulders and looked up into a pair of purple eyes. There was a man sitting behind a desk, barely any light was skimming on the desk, but if he just moved into the little light there was…he did. The man had spiky reddish orange looking hair and a darker ivory color skin tone. He had a headband on his forehead with a slash through it, the symbol for Amegakure. He had three piercings on either side of his nose (bridges), two piercings under his bottom lip (snakebites), seven smallish hoops running up both his ears (helix), and a bar running through the bottom to the top of both his ears (industrials). I could feel myself shaking a little bit, this man hadn't said one word to me and I was still intimidated by him. I guessed it might've been from his rather impressive chakra…or maybe it was the fact that he was the leader of a criminal organization.

"Konan." the man said, acknowledging her presence.

"Konnichiwa Pein." Konan said, sounding like she was smiling.

He nodded again, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes moved away from mine to studying my appearance, I couldn't tell what emotions were going through his head. I didn't know if he was disappointed at my appearance or impressed or…what.

"Is this the child Itachi and Kisame mentioned to you?" he asked after a minute, his voice still cold sounding.

"Hai, her name is Sada." Konan told him, Pein nodded. "Itachi-san used Tsukiyomi so she hasn't been able to regain much chakra."

Pein nodded again, recognizing that I wouldn't be able to demonstrate my techniques with no chakra. He moved his eyes away from Konan, focusing them on me again.

"Your abilities?" he questioned, I swallowed nervously.

I could feel my body shaking in terror, this man was the most intimidating person I'd ever met in my life, even more intimidating than Orochimaru. His chakra was enormous, and he seemed like he was extremely powerful. It felt like his chakra was crushing me, my lungs felt like they weren't getting any oxygen. I swallowed again, trying to get the lump out of my throat, and opened my mouth to say something; silence.

"Pein, perhaps if you held back some of your chakra." Konan suggested, most likely feeling how badly I was shaking. "It's too much for the child."

Pein nodded, still looking emotionless; I could feel the pressure around me lift away. I blinked, taking a slow breath, and looked back up at Pein. He seemed to be rather impatient, most likely wanting me to tell him my abilities; I managed to gather enough courage to whisper

"I…can go through things." Pein nodded, looking a little interested in my ability.

"What sorts of things child?" he inquired, I rubbed my arm self-consciously.

"Everything." I replied. I watched a smirk slowly come to his lips, did he find that useful or something?

"Everything?" he repeated, I nodded. He thought this over for a minute before saying "Does your ability require chakra?" I nodded again, lowering my eyes.

"Just a little when I phase myself…other people takes alot." I whispered. I glanced up at him through my lashes, hoping I wouldn't be found as useless and killed, I didn't want to die yet.

"Phase." he mused, thinking about the name I had given my kekkei genkai. "You can phase other people through objects?" I nodded in reply. He looked interested, I _definitely_ couldn't be killed now. "How very interesting, I've never heard of something like this before."

"Itachi-san informed me that Orochimaru is interested in her abilities." Konan told him, Pein nodded.

"Her ability must be worthwhile then." he pondered. After a minute he turned his attention away from Konan, focusing on me. "Rank?"

"Chunin." I said quietly. I watched his fingers tap against his arm, in thought more than likely.

"I'm guessing you're from Konohagakure."

I shook my head; I wasn't going to even pretend to be from that place. Konohagakure didn't care about me enough to send more than one Anbu squad to rescue me; I wasn't going to claim it as my home. Sure Kuraigakure had imprisoned me and such, but it was more my home than Konohagakure. At least in Kuraigakure everyone didn't look down on those who used darkness style jutsu, we were all the same. Konohagakure was too close-minded, they judged before they knew anything about me. That's exactly what they'd done to me so I wasn't even going to bother claiming them as my village.

"Really?" Pein inquired, sounding slightly amused. "Where are you from then?" I blinked, playing with the hem of my shirt before forcing myself to say

"Kuraigakure."

Pein gave me a cold stare, not that his stare had really changed all that much throughout our conversation, and he ceased tapping his arm.

"Kuraigakure." Konan repeated, sounding interested. "So you use darkness style jutsu then?" I looked at the blue haired woman over my shoulder and nodded in agreement. "Pein-"

"I agree Konan." Pein interrupted, not letting Konan even finish her thought. "Child."

I looked back at Pein, feeling a little intimidated, and he motioned me closer with his index finger. I looked back at Konan hesitantly and she nodded, smiling a little.

"Go on dear, Pein won't hurt you." she said, sounding reassuring.

I nodded a little, trusting Konan, and moved across the office towards Pein's desk. I stopped infront of the desk, and he reached for my ungloved hand. I jerked away from him, moving backwards, I didn't want to hurt him with my chakra draining problem. I knew that as long as I had a little chakra, I could drain someone else's with skin contact, and I could just _feel_ a little bit of chakra inside my body.

"Please don't." I whispered. "I don't want to hurt you." Konan made a confused noise behind me while Pein's emotionless expression changed to genuinely interested. "I…just don't touch my skin."

"And if I do?" Pein inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll kill you." I said softly.

He actually looked interested, fascinated, how could an ability like _that_ be intriguing? He didn't say anything, but I knew he was wondering about this ability I had yet to speak of.

"When I…touch people's skin…I take their chakra."

Neither Pein nor Konan said anything for at least two minutes, that's when I started getting nervous, what if they were planning on killing me because of this?

"You can't…control this, can you?" Konan asked, I shook my head agreeing.

"No matter how little of chakra I have, even if I have just a little…I take people's." I whispered, ashamed of this curse I had. Pein chuckled and I looked up at him through my bangs, confused at what he was thinking.

"Little one, come here." he ordered in a calm tone.

I bit down on my lower lip nervously, not wanting to hurt him, but moved closer as instructed. He reached for me, his hand closing around my smaller hand, and pulled my arm across the desk. The next thing I knew, a metal like bracelet was snapped around my wrist. I blinked, feeling extremely confused. I couldn't feel chakra flowing from the skin contact I'd made with him, I wasn't stealing his chakra. How was this-

"That bracelet…" I looked up at Pein, hearing his voice, and he released his grip on my hand. "Suppresses chakra." he finished emotionlessly. "With that on, you will not be able to mold or form _any_ of your chakra. Once the bracelet is removed, your chakra will be restored." I nodded, I could feel a little smile tugging at the corners of my mouth; I could make skin contact without hurting people now. "No one is able to remove it besides Konan or myself, it recognizes only our chakra. Until we decide you will not betray us, that bracelet shall be attached to your wrist at all times." I nodded again, not really caring that he was rubbing it in my face that I was their captive, and smiled a little.

"Arigato gosaimasu Leader-sama." I said quietly, he chuckled a little.

"Take her back to her room Konan." he ordered, I felt a hand close around my upper arm. "Return here once you do so."

"Of course Pein, I'd like to get her something more to eat before though." Konan said, her voice sounding sweet. Pein nodded to her, giving her permission to feed me before returning, and Konan lightly tugged on my arm. "Come on Sada-chan."

I nodded, turning towards Konan, and grabbed a handful of her cloak. She smiled a little, putting her arm around my shoulders, and led me out of the room. She shut the door behind us as we left and led me back down the hallway, in the direction of my room. I clung tightly to her cloak, trying to keep my mind occupied with something other than how nervous I was, and she rubbed my shoulder comfortingly. I glanced up at her through my bangs, and she smiled a little.

"I'm going to drop you off at your room alright? I don't think you want to meet any of the members yet, do you?" I shook my head, not wanting to be around any people besides Konan right now, and she chuckled in amusement. "I'll bring you your food, would you like udon?" she asked. I nodded enthusiastically, I hadn't ate udon noodles in forever. Konan rubbed my arm again and opened the door to my room. "Wait in here okay? I'll bring your food and new clothes to you in a few minutes."

I nodded a little bit, slowly removing my fingers from her cloak, and put my arms around her waist in a hug. She seemed to stiffen a little at first but gradually put her arms around me, hugging me back. Normally I never really hugged anyone, just Sasuke, Gaara, and Deidara. I appreciated Konan though, she was acting like the mother I never really had, and I was happy to have a mother figure in my life now. She giggled a little bit when I nuzzled my face against her cloak and patted the top of my head.

"Go on dear."

I nodded, moving out of the hug, and walked back into my room. She shut the door, I didn't hear a click, so she hadn't locked me in. She must've realized that I didn't know my way around this place so there was no way I could escape, I'd just get myself lost. If there were more people in this place then there was no way I was going to wander around without a clue as to where I was going, they could attack me or something. I walked away from the door, looking around my room for the first time since I'd arrived. The room was painted a dark red color, darker than my eyes, and had a wooden floor. The bed was a twin sized bed so it wasn't incredibly small, but it also wasn't huge. I had a dresser over in the corner of my room, a smallish bookcase on the other side, and a rather comfy looking chair next to my bed. I titled my head to the side a little, looking at the door close to my bookcase, and walked across the floor of the room. I hesitantly reached for the brass handle, pushing it down, and opened up the door.

There was a bathroom, painted the same color red as my room, and a tile floor. The bathroom had the necessities that most bathrooms had; a sink, shower, toilet, medicine cabinet, and even a mirror. This was a plus, now I wouldn't have to ask Konan for a mirror. I looked around the bathroom, tilting my head to the side curiously at the small looking closet. I slid open the door, making an 'oh' face afterwards, towels. I slid the door shut after grabbing a smallish face towel and went to the sink. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, cringing a little at how nasty I looked. My hair was all tangled up, my face covered in dirt; I looked like a wild animal or something. I quickly wet the towel, scrubbing my face clean as best I could without getting a shower; I wanted to eat again before getting my shower. I looked through the medicine cabinet, smiling a little while I came across a brush. I slowly ran the brush through my tangled and knotted hair, picking at the little pieces of grass and such that had gotten caught in it during the travel, and looked up at my reflection after a good few minutes.

I watched a smile come to my lips, happy that I looked a little more presentable, and looked down at the new bracelet around my wrist. I was guessing Pein had taken my ungloved hand because my wrist had been vacant; my other wrist had my charm bracelet on it. I smiled a little before throwing my glove in the small trashcan, since I didn't have the matching one, and took my charm bracelet off my wrist. I placed it on the sink counter before taking Haku's necklace from around my neck and placing it there as well. I didn't want to place it on my dresser out in the open; Itachi could always come back to my room and take my most prized possessions from me just because he could. I looked away from the sink hearing a door open and bolted out of the bathroom. Konan smiled at me when she saw me, closing the door behind her, and walked to my bed. She placed a couple of bags on the edge of the bed and I walked across the room, sitting down on the bed.

"It seems you've brushed your hair." she stated, I nodded in agreement. "I'm sure it will look even more gorgeous once you've washed it."

I smiled a little at the compliment and felt my eyes widen in happiness when she handed me a bowl of udon noodles, they looked so yummy. I dug into the food without a second thought and watched her carry another bag into my bathroom. I shrugged a little, not knowing what she was doing, but didn't question it. Konan was a very kind woman, and she had been good to me the hour that I'd been awake, I didn't have any reason not to trust her. She walked back out of the bathroom a few seconds later, she didn't have the bag, now I was curious. She sat in the comfy chair, watching me eat before saying

"That jewelry of yours is rather beautiful Sada-chan." I smiled slightly, feeling my cheeks heat up at the thought of Deidara.

"My best friend gave me the necklace a few years before he died." I told her, taking another bite of the food. She nodded, looking like she felt sorry for me, and patted my knee comfortingly. I smiled a little, knowing Haku was in a better place, and said "My boyfriend gave me the bracelet…I miss him." She smiled a little bit, patting my knee again, and said with a kind tone

"Maybe you'll see him again one day."

I nodded, hoping I would get to see Deidara again. Even though he'd left me the way he had, I still loved him, and I really missed him. It sounds weird that I forgave him for leaving me, but I did. I didn't understand why I did, but I felt as though I couldn't be angry with him. I loved him, so much. I didn't feel like there was anything in the world that could make me angry with him, he was just…amazing to me. I didn't think I'd ever stop caring about him, even if I never saw him again, I knew that I would still love him.

"You think so Konan-san?" I asked quietly, a smile came to her lips.

"True love always finds a way, correct?" she asked sweetly; I nodded agreeing with her.

I turned my gaze to my food, slurping down a few more noodles. I wrinkled my nose a little bit, finishing up my bowel of udon noodles, and looked towards Konan. She smiled, taking the empty bowl from me, and handed over the water bottle she'd been holding. I smiled a little, sipping at the water, and listened to what she was saying

"It's rather late at night Sada-chan, you've been sleeping for a good number of hours because of your injuries. Once you finish with your shower, go straight to bed. I'll see you in the morning, bring you some breakfast, and tell you about day to day life around here." I nodded in agreement, finishing my water, and she took the empty bottle from me. "I'll see you around nine or so." she told me. I nodded again, feeling my cheeks go warm when she patted my head, and glanced up at her through my bangs.

"Arigato gosaimasu Konan-san." I whispered, she giggled.

"It's no problem at all Sada-chan." she said kindly. "Have a nice sleep."

I watched her walk out of the room and crawled across the bed, looking through the bags she'd left for me. I felt my smile widen a little at the clothes. She'd left me tons of different pajama pants and baggy t-shirts for bed, she'd even guessed my bra and panties size correctly. I smiled a little bit, going through the daily clothes. As promised she'd left me a pair of black wrist length gloves, some new shinobi sandals, and the clothes we'd discussed on the way to visit Pein. I was rather happy, I giggled coming across a red studded belt to hold my pants up, Konan definitely had the motherly act down. She was doing everything that a mother would do so well, I began to wonder if she'd had a child at some point in her life. I wrinkled my nose, sighing to myself, and drug the bags to my dresser. I quickly organized my clothing, keeping an outfit out for bed, and head into the bathroom.

I grabbed a towel from the closet like thing and grabbed a hand towel. I quickly stripped off all my ruined clothing, throwing it in the trash and stepped into the shower. I blinked, smiling a little when I saw Konan had left me some shampoo and body wash, so that's what had been in the bag. I turned my attention to the knobs, staring at them blankly before I turned the knobs of the shower. Warm water shot out, caressing my body washing all the dirt and grime off. I let out a small sigh, loving the feel of the water on my skin. I quickly shampooed my hair, knowing it would take a while to clean it since it was so long. I blinked, trying to keep from getting the suds in my eyes, and ran the shampoo through my violet colored hair. After what seemed like fifteen minutes, I'd washed all the dirt and grime out of my hair, and I moved to cleaning my body. I quickly washed my face off again and finally turned off the shower. I grabbed the towel hanging on the handle outside the shower and quickly dried my hair as best I could. I finally got around to drying my body, which didn't take that long, and wrapped the towel around my slender body. I stepped in front of the mirror in the bathroom staring at my reflection.

Konan had been right when she said that my hair looked better after being washed, it looked silky and soft like it normally was. My skin was back to its creamy white color and my red eyes…were still lonely. I missed Deidara, my eyes were screaming it, why couldn't I have him back? I blinked at my reflection, forcing myself not to cry, and grabbed my hairbrush. I ran the brush through my wet hair, making sure it didn't tug at any tangles, and tilted my head to the side curiously. So Konan had even left a razor and deodorant for me, I was lucky to have another female in this place. After spending another five minutes in the bathroom, I exited it in my newly acquired pajamas. I yawned tiredly, falling face first onto the bed, and slipped under the covers. I curled up into a ball on my side, closing my eyes. I snuggled into the sheets, slowly falling into unconsciousness. I couldn't help but think about Deidara before I fell asleep, hoping...praying, that we'd meet again.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Chapter 4 is complete, I hope you all enjoyed it. Please let me know what you thought and subscribe if you enjoy the story!  
**


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE; AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS_

Deidara tapped his cheek in thought, gazing down at the newly wrote letter. It'd been a somewhere around two weeks since he'd last seen Sada, and she wasn't replying to any of his letters. He'd sent her at least five through his birds, and no reply came from her. She must've been furious with him, and he could understand why to a point. He'd left her without saying goodbye to her, leaving her a note couldn't really make up for it. He still loved her though, he'd told her with each letter he sent that he loved her more than life itself and it was destroying him not to see her. He begged her to reply, telling her that he _needed_ to hear something from her, anything. Still though, she didn't reply. This was destroying him, ripping him apart. He didn't know if he would manage to survive now, it felt like he'd lost her. He shouldn't have even returned to the headquarters, he should've just stayed with her. They could've ran away together, he would've made sure that the Akatsuki wouldn't have been able to find him. They could've moved to a secluded part of the world, a place that wasn't on any map, and they would've been safe there. Had he thought of that, of course not. It was his own fault that Sada was angry with him, and it was tearing him up to know that she wasn't willing to reply to any of his messages.

He'd left to keep her safe, he'd kept her uninformed because he didn't want her to think less of him, and he'd done all those things for one reason...because he loved her. She was the only person in the world that he could say he loved anymore. His mother was dead, he hated his father with a passion, none of his old friends even mattered to him, the only person he had was Sada. Now, it felt like she was slipping away. He needed to win her back, he knew in his heart that he couldn't survive without this girl. She was beautiful, artistic, powerful, intelligent, just all around amazing to him. He couldn't help but think about her all the time, his thoughts always circled around her. He began wondering if she still cared about him the same way, perhaps she wasn't so much angry, she was just hurt. He knew how fragile Sada was, how she'd been hurt before by people, and she must've been hurting over this. He'd left her, hadn't even said goodbye to her, given her an explanation or anything. At the time he felt like he didn't have the strength to face her and tell her he had to leave, he couldn't bear to see those tears of hers. Now, he wondered if that had been a mistake. What if he lost her forever because of one stupid mistake?

Deidara cursed, his hand swiping across his desk, knocking against a few objects. He heard a few things clatter, dropping to the floor. He buried half his face in his hand, hating that he'd hurt the only person he cared about. In the process he'd even hurt himself, he felt like he couldn't take much more of this heartache he was feeling. One girl, that's all she was, but he couldn't make himself see that. To him, she was an angel, a work of art. She was his perfect match, everything about her screamed that she was made just for him. They had a two and a half year age difference, big deal. He didn't care, he was in love with this girl, and age didn't matter. If a person truly loved someone, then something like age wouldn't stop them from being together. He'd applied the same concept to the situation he was in with the Akatsuki and his feelings for Sada. If he really loved her, then the Akatsuki wouldn't stop him from being with her. He hadn't thought that not being physically with her would affect him as much as it did, he thought he would be fine with just being emotionally with her, but it wasn't. He needed to be with her in every aspect, and it didn't seem like that was going to happen now.

He sighed to himself, moving his face out of his hand. His blue eye fell to the floor, locking on the back of a frame. He blinked, leaning over and grabbing the picture from off the floor. He turned it over, smiling slightly at the fact that the glass wasn't broken. There she was, his work of art, his perfection. In the picture was both Deidara and Sada, he'd convinced her into getting at least one picture made of the two of them; it'd been a good idea in the end. She was standing infront of him, her back pressed against his chest since both his arms were around her waist, hugging her. A small blush was on her cheeks, her face was slightly turned to the left, both her's and Deidara's eyes locking. He was grinning, she was smiling slightly in embarrassment. It was the only picture he had of the both of them, and he got to see her face every day now. It wasn't the same obviously, he didn't know if she was angry with him, but he hoped she'd be able to forgive him for leaving her. She'd told him that she loved him as much as he loved her, so it wasn't like she could stay angry with him forever…right?

He looked over hearing a knock at his door and placed the frame on his desk, picture down. He made sure to fold the letter, hiding it under the picture frame. He hopped to his feet, stretching his arms above his head as he walked, and groaned hearing another knock at the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." he complained.

He grabbed the brass handle and pushed it down, opening his door. He narrowed his eye a little at Sasori, why was he bothering him _this_ early in the morning? It was eight o' clock, shouldn't Sasori be sleeping right about now, he was a lazy ass after all.

"Sasori no danna." the blonde said, giving him a confused look.

"We have a meeting brat, come on." Sasori ordered, walking away from the door.

Deidara lowered his head, sighing in annoyance. Without closing his door, he went to his bed and grabbed his cloak. He quickly put the cloak on, walking back to the door but not before grabbing a hair band. He pulled his hair up the way he normally did as he exited the room, pulling the door shut behind him. He head down the hallway, following a little way behind Sasori. They walked down the hallway silently, entering a dark room. In the room, was a large round table with ten chairs. One chair was at the head of the table, four on the right side, five on the left. The seats went the same way their rings were positioned, everyone had an assigned seat. Pein was already seated at the head of the table, Konan in the second seat on the right. Sasori and Deidara walked a little way into the room, waiting for Pein to recognize their presence. Pein turned his head in their direction, nodding once.

"Sasori, Deidara. Take your seats."

Both members nodded, Sasori taking the first seat on the left, Deidara taking the first seat on the right. After a moment, three holograms appeared in the room; Kakuzu, Hidan, and Zetsu. Pein nodded to the three members, Zetsu had been sent on a spying mission whilst Kakuzu and Hidan had went out to collect a bounty of some sort. All three holograms walked forward, recognizing they were allowed to do so, and took their seats. Hidan took the seat next to Sasori, Kakuzu sat next to Hidan, and Zetsu took the last seat on the right. After a minute or so, Itachi and Kisame walked into the room.

"Itachi, Kisame." Pein said emotionlessly, they both nodded.

Itachi took his seat between Konan and Zetsu while Kisame took the seat next to Kakuzu. The last seat had been Orochimaru's, but they had yet to recruit another member. They'd need a new ring for that, until then, nine members would do. Deidara pushed his blonde bangs aside, moving his gaze to Pein.

"As you all have realized, Kisame and Itachi failed to capture the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." he said coldly, everyone nodded. "In Konohagakure, they stumbled upon something that will be of great use to our organization."

Deidara looked at Pein confused, what was he talking about? What could be powerful or useful enough for Pein to forgive the Uchiha and Kisame for their screw up? Was it a weapon of some sort?

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Hidan pressed, not understanding what was going on in Pein's head.

"A child." Pein said simply. Hidan gave him a blank look, a child?

"You mean, a fucking kid will make up for a Jinchuuriki?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Pein's lips curved into a smirk, none of these men understood how special this child was.

"Itachi." Itachi nodded, everyone's attention turned to him.

"This child, has caught Orochimaru's eye." he stated.

Deidara's eye narrowed angrily, Orochimaru, that good for nothing traitor. He was determined to kill him, he'd told himself that he would a good hundred times. He glanced across the table at his partner. Sasori's eyes were darker than they had been in a good while, a tight frown sitting on his lips. He still had a grudge against Orochimaru, after a good number of years he hadn't let go of the grudge in the slightest.

"The ability she possesses, is nothing like I've ever seen before." Itachi informed them, drawing Deidara back into the conversation.

Who was the girl they were talking about? He hadn't seen anyone impressive in Konohagakure when he'd went spying on the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, maybe they'd just appeared in the village after he'd left. He didn't really care, as long as Sada was safe then he didn't care who Itachi and Kisame had dragged back to the organization.

"There's nothing like it in the world, and if molded correctly-" Itachi started

"We'll have a huge advantage." Pein finished, folding his arms across his chest. "If any of you are to stumble upon the child in the headquarters, do not attack her." Hidan grumbled at the look he was receiving from Pein, not liking the order in the least. "With this child in our ranks, a good number of things will be achieved faster than we hoped. We need to keep her loyalty though…"

Pein stopped his speech, watching Konan rise from her seat. Where was she going, she was just as much a part of this organization as everyone else.

"Konan?" he questioned, everyone moved their eyes to the woman.

"Gomen, I promised her I'd bring her breakfast around this time." she apologized, smiling a little. Pein nodded, watching Konan walked around the table.

"Konan." She turned, looking at her childhood friend with her usual kind expression. "When do you think the child will be emotionally ready to meet everyone?" She shrugged, chewing her lower lip.

"I wouldn't know the answer to that, she's quite terrified at the moment. Her trust is easy enough to gain though." Konan stated, smiling a little at how it seemed like Sada looked at her like a motherly figure.

"Then why the fuck can't we just meet the little bitch?" Hidan groaned.

Her eyes narrowed into a glare, a menacing glare. Hidan cringed back a little, never having seen Konan angry before, and she crossed her arms annoyed.

" _You_ will not be meeting her anytime soon." she snapped. "I'm in charge of her so _I_ decide who she gets to meet, and when she gets to meet them. Got that?"

Everyone looked at Konan emotionlessly, not understanding where her anger was coming from, but nodded in agreement with her. Konan turned on her heel, walking towards the exit. She was in the room long enough to hear Pein say

"Itachi, you will be in charge of the child's training. Make sure she experiences different jutsu, have some of the members train her in your place at times."

"Hai Leader-sama." Itachi said, sounding emotionless.

"I will be…"

Konan sighed quietly, her anger slowly dissolving, and lightly scratched her cheek in thought as she head down the hallway towards the kitchen. What should she make for Sada today, what type of breakfast would she like? She knew the child must've been hungry, Itachi's jutsu had really done a number on her body. She might've not cared what breakfast she got, just having something to eat would probably make Sada happy. Konan giggled quietly, Sada was a very sweet girl. She hated it a little that the child had been dragged into this world, hopefully she wouldn't lose her sweet disposition and she would stay a kind girl. Her innocence would be threatened in this place, if not taken away completely, Konan hoped the girl would manage to stay happy here. She'd have to make sure no one mistreated the child. Konan walked into the kitchen, sighing again. She looked around the kitchen, playing with a strand of her hair as she thought about what food she could make. She went through the cupboards boredly, wrinkling her nose.

"Goodness, fixing breakfast is so complicated at times." she mumbled.

She went to the fridge, looking through it without much success. She needed to stop looking for food and just let an idea come to her. She smiled to herself when a thought finally popped into her head.

"Perfect."

* * *

 _AKATSUKI HEADQUERTERS; SADA'S ROOM_

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, moving a few strands of my hair around before I finally figured that I looked okay. I definitely liked the outfit Konan had suggested for me, the red really _did_ compliment my eyes nicely. It made me look pretty…I guessed. I didn't really see the need to look pretty since I didn't have Deidara here with me, but I didn't want Konan knowing how much I missed him. She was so kind to me, and she'd done more than enough for me. She'd done things for me that she didn't even have to do, she'd done them because she wanted to. I didn't want to worry her, I'd feel incredibly awful for doing something like that to someone so generous. I nodded to myself, forcing myself to perk up, and put Haku's necklace around my neck. I slipped my charm bracelet around my wrist and stared at my reflection. It looked like I was happier when I had the jewelry on, I didn't understand why though. Perhaps it was because I'd received them from the two people precious to me, the people I cared most about in the world. My eyes didn't look as dull when I thought about Deidara, I looked happy. I thought a little about what Konan had said to me, about how true love always finds a way. Perhaps I would meet Deidara again one day, when I least expected it. That would be quite amazing, the best thing that could happen. Then I'd be able to tell him how much he meant to me, how much I cared for him, and that I loved him more than anything. Everything would work out, I was sure of it.

I blinked, studying my reflection. My semi baggy black jeans were held up by the red studded belt Konan had given me, I'd used the kunai she left me to cut holes in the jeans where I wanted. I had on the black fishnets under my jeans, my long-sleeved fishnet shirt was under my red top, and my shinobi sandals just made the entire outfit complete. I didn't have my headband anymore, I'd trashed it last night. I didn't claim to be from Konohagakure so I didn't feel the need to have their headband. I heard what sounded like my door being pushed open and peaked out of the bathroom. I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth when Konan walked in, breakfast in hand. She giggled a little, shutting the door behind her with her foot, and I scurried out of the bathroom. I plopped on the bed, smiling at the food on the tray; miso soup, tamagoyaki, seasoned nori, and orange juice. This was an awesome breakfast for sure.

"Ohayou Sada-chan." she greeted, I felt my smile widen.

"Ohayou Konan-san." I whispered, she giggled quietly.

"Your voice is just so innocent Sada-chan." she observed, I felt my cheeks go warm in embarrassment. I grabbed my chopsticks still blushing and slowly began eating. She chuckled quietly, saying "Don't be embarrassed by it dear, it's cute."

I smiled at her before taking a drink of my orange juice, Konan was such an awesome person, I was positive we were going to be great friends.

"Arigato Konan-san." I said softly, she smiled.

"Alright, so. You're most likely curious about the headquarters right?" she guessed, I nodded. "There are ten people in this place, two of them being Pein and myself. The other seven, are members of this organization, we call it Akatsuki. The other person is a subordinate of one of our members." she told me. I nodded, taking in all this information as I ate.

"What…do the Akatsuki do?" I asked; she smiled sadly.

"I'd rather not tell you, but you need to know since you're a part of this place now." she said, I nodded a little. "The Akatsuki's main goal is to gather these tailed beasts called Bijuu. Most of the Bijuu in today's world are sealed inside a person, we call these people Jinchuuriki." I nodded, understanding what she was saying, and she continued. "We don't know for sure if there are nine Jinchuuriki, but we plan to extract the Bijuu from the Jinchuuriki that there are in the world. The other Bijuu, we plan to find so we can seal all of them." I nodded a little, not understanding why they wanted these Bijuu so badly, but I didn't ask.

"That sounds dangerous." I said quietly, she nodded in agreement.

"Hai, it is. Demo, that's why we have very skilled members." she told me, I took another drink of my orange juice. "All our members are classified as S-Ranked Criminals so they're quite the dangerous lot." I shuddered a little, feeling slightly intimidated and chewed at my food. "No need to be afraid dear, not all of them are so bad personality wise. We even have someone close to your age here so I'm sure the two of you would get along when you meet him, he's sixteen." I nodded, happy that there was someone slightly close to my age, maybe he'd be nice like Konan was. "I'd advise you not to go picking fights, some of them have rather short tempers." I immediately nodded at _that_ , not wanting to make any enemies with S-Ranked Criminals. "You don't seem the type to pick fights though." I nodded in agreement, smiling a little.

"Fight for a reason, don't fight just to fight." I said, quoting one of my morals; she smiled.

"See, I wish they were like that but they aren't." Konan said, sighing quietly. "Men." She shook her head, looking slightly amused, and moved her eyes back to me. "Pein has also ordered Itachi be in charge of your training." I cringed, not liking the sound of that idea. "You'll also train under the others members at different times, experiencing different jutsu, you're in Itachi's charge though when it comes to training." I shook my head, not wanting Itachi to be in charge of me.

"Can't you train me instead Konan-san?" I asked quietly. She smiled slightly, looking disappointed.

"I wish I could dear one, but what Pein says goes." she told me, I nodded understanding. "Anyway, the headquarters is quite the large place. Pein has ordered that no one is allowed to attack you if they find you wandering the halls, but I wouldn't advise you do that. Some of the men here are quite…enthusiastic when it comes to fighting. Some of them don't really listen to orders all that well." I nodded, making a mental note to _always_ have some type of weapon with me when I wasn't with Konan. "Sometimes the headquarters can be empty though, just leaving two or three people in it at a time. Missions can sometimes keep our members away for a few months or so." I nodded, so sometimes it was just Pein and Konan in the headquarters. "We have those few times when everyone's here, but that's very rare. We actually have four people gone at this moment."

"So sometimes…everyone's gone at once?" I inquired, tilting my head to the side. She nodded, watching me drink the last of my orange juice.

"That's right; Pein and I barely leave headquarters unless there's a mission we have to attend to. I'm the one that leaves more often." she stated, I glanced down at my charm bracelet in thought.

"You…won't have to leave soon…right?" I asked quietly, looking up at her through my bangs. She smiled a little, patting the top of my head.

"Not that I know of, until then I'll stay with you as often as I can." she promised.

I felt my cheeks go warm feeling her hand run across the top of my head, ruffling my hair a bit. I giggled to myself, I couldn't believe there was someone as kind as her in a place as ruthless as this. She smiled down at me before removing her hand from my head and standing up. She took the empty glass and plate from my fingers, setting them on the tray and turned on her heel, walking towards the door. Now I felt bad, was she going to leave me in here all alone? I tilted my head, watching her, and she looked back at me over her shoulder.

"Are you coming or what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow; I felt a smile come to my lips.

I nodded enthusiastically, hopping to my feet, and dashed to her side. I stumbled when I tripped over my own feet, but I managed to keep myself from making a face plant on the floor. Konan chuckled at my eagerness, nodding her head towards the door.

"Would you mind…" I opened the door for her without her even finishing the sentence and she smiled at me. "Arigato Sada-chan."

I nodded, happy to have been of help to her, and she exited the room. I followed behind her, shutting the door behind me, and she looked at me over her shoulder.

"Make sure to memorize the hallways as best you can, you'll need to know how to get to the kitchen when I'm not here."

I nodded, letting her know that I would pay attention to every last detail; I was a rather observant shinobi in the first place. I followed her down the hallway silent as a shadow, studying my surroundings. I made sure to pay attention to which hallways we turned into, making mental notes on how to get back to my room based one which way we turned. She finally stopped infront of a door, I pushed it open for her without thinking about it. She smiled down at me, walking into the room, I quickly followed after her. A kitchen, it seemed like quite the homey kitchen as well. I smiled a little bit, watching her place the glass and plate in the sink, and looked around the room. Refrigerator, freezer, sink, it looked like your everyday normal kitchen.

"Sada-chan." I looked at Konan curiously, wondering what she was going to say. "You can eat anything you want in here; you don't need to ask for food alright?" I nodded, happy that she had made it clear that I didn't have to ask to be able to eat. "You'd obviously like to see more, correct?" she asked, I nodded again. She smiled and led me out of the room, through a different door than we'd entered. "Our dining room." she said. I tilted my head to the side, feeling a little confused, they all actually ate together. "Our members take turns cooking dinner; I'm not really one to cook for them. You're a special case though." I smiled a little, Konan was great to spend time with, she really was. "Alright, let's go." I followed her out of the room, down another hallway, and she stopped at a door. "Our den." I nodded, not feeling the need to look inside, and followed her around a corner. "I'll show you our training room and medical room, those will be rather important for your stay here."

"When…will my training start Konan-san?" I asked hesitantly, she scratched the back of her head in thought.

"I'm not quite sure, I left the meeting before Pein got around to mentioning that." she told me, playing with a couple of strands of her hair. She turned to me, smiling a little. "I'll ask him about it later, and I'll make sure to let you know."

"Arigato Konan-san." I said softly, she shrugged.

"No problem dear." she said nonchalantly. I smiled, following her around a few more corners, and we stopped at a room. "Our training room." she told me, gesturing towards said room. I nodded and looked across the hall to the room she was now pointing at. "We made sure that our medical room was close by, in case someone got a little _too_ injured during training." I nodded, recognizing how smart of an idea that was. "Do you remember how to get to Pein's office?"

"Hai Konan-san." I whispered; she smiled a little. She wrinkled her nose in thought, lightly scratching her cheek.

"I think that's all the rooms you really need to know about. Oh, I haven't shown you how to get to my room yet." she exclaimed, not sounding overly excited about it.

She motioned me to follow her and I trotted to her side, following her down another bunch of hallways. We walked down what seemed like the billionth hallway before she stopped, opening up a door.

"This is my room." she told me.

I nodded, peaking inside. It was quite a nice room. It had a wooden floor like mine and was painted the same red color as mine. She had a little more furniture than I did, but she'd been here longer than me after all. She also had all sorts of origami things all over her room; birds, snakes, tons of flowers. Her room was incredibly beautiful; she must've had a real talent for origami.

"It's beautiful Konan-san." I told her, she smiled appreciatively.

"Arigato." she said kindly. I moved my eyes to her, smiling slightly. "Would you like me to make one for you?" I looked at her confused, what was she talking about? "A flower?"

I nodded happily, following her into the room, and shut the door behind me. I watched her take some light purple paper, folding it in so many different directions that I had no clue what was going on. Next thing I knew, she was holding a paper rose out to me. I felt my lips stretch into a big smile and took the rose from her, examining it. It was so beautiful, almost as amazing as Deidara's sculptures. Speaking of art, I wondered if she could get me some supplies for my painting.

"I love it Konan-san." I said sweetly, looking up at her through my bangs. She smiled, patting me on the head.

"Arigato Sada-chan."

"Konan-san?" She looked at me curiously, and I continued smiling at her. "You're an artist, aren't you?" She smiled a little, looking amused, and said with a teasing tone

"I've never called myself an artist before, but if you say so." I giggled quietly and said

"Would you mind…doing something for me Konan-san?" I asked her, she continued smiling that same kind smile at me.

"Of course."

"Could you…get me some supplies…painting supplies?" I inquired, my cheeks going hot again. She chuckled softly and patted the top of my head again.

"You're an artist then." I nodded in agreement at her guess. "Oh boy, another artist." she mumbled, shaking her head to herself. "This is gonna be fun." What was she talking about, I didn't understand.

"Konan-san, what do you mea-"

"Never mind dear." she interrupted, waving a hand at me. "I'll get some paint and such for you, how's that sound?" I nodded, liking the sound of the idea. I was going to get some art supplies, I was so excited now.

"Arigato." I said, sounding cheerful. She nodded, smiling at me, and walked passed me to the door.

"We should get you back to your room now, I need to talk with Pein about a few things since I missed the rest of the meeting. I'll bring you lunch later, around noon. That okay?" she asked, I nodded. "Alright, let's go."

I nodded, following her out of her room. We walked back down the hallway, me doing some mental mapping in my brain, and after a good bit of walking we made it back to my room. I walked inside my room, smiling at Konan when she patted my head.

"Anything specific you'd like for lunch?" she asked, standing in the doorway. I shook my head, Konan had done enough for me, I wasn't going to turn her into my own personal cook.

"No Konan-san, you can just bring whatever you feel like bringing." I told her, she nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll see you later dear." she promised.

I nodded, tightly hugging her around the waist, and went to my bed. I placed my rose on the seat of my comfy chair, making sure not to unfold it or anything. I dropped to my bed, listening to the door shut, and stared up at the ceiling in thought. I hoped I wouldn't have to start my training immediately; it'd be such a drag. I mainly wanted to get used to everything around here beforehand but with Itachi in charge of me, that didn't seem possible now. My thoughts were mainly focused on Deidara, I hoped I'd get to see him again. I was going crazy thinking about him, but what else could I do? It wasn't like I could actually _talk_ to him, why'd he have to leave me like that. I coughed, burying my face in my pillow feeling tears roll down my cheeks.

'Nande Deidara…I thought you loved me?'

* * *

 **Author's Note: So I'm wondering who all likes this story. I've only gotten one review for it so I'm hoping it's decent enough. Please let me know how I'm doing with it and check out my other work :)  
**


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SADA'S ROOM  
_

I sighed quietly, playing with a strand of my hair in thought. It was some time in the morning, and I was extremely frustrated with myself. How could I not remember the design of the flower? I'd spent plenty of time with Konan so I should've been able to remember. I wrinkled my nose in thought, tapping my cheek with the end of my paintbrush. I was currently painting a portrait for Konan, a self-portrait of her actually. I'd wanted to be able to give her something beautiful, something that might show her how appreciative I was of everything she'd done for me in my time here. I'd been contemplating on what to paint for her for a good while, an hour or so actually, until I finally decided to do a portrait of her. I always saw that some "average" looking people didn't know how truly beautiful they were, they didn't see their inner beauty at all. They only saw what was on the outside, seeing their physical appearance. People needed to delve deeper, to see the true beauty inside themselves. Kindness was beauty; good hearted people just didn't manage to see that in themselves. Konan was beautiful on both the outside and the inside. She was a physically beautiful person but her kindness managed to shine through her physical appearance, making her an angel of some sort. I knew it sounded kind of weird to be comparing Konan to angel, especially since I didn't know her all that well. I was an insightful person though, and I saw what a truly beautiful person Konan was through her emotions and actions towards me. I was grateful to have her with me, standing by me through my time here…keeping my spirits up.

The day I'd asked Konan if she'd get me some supplies for my art, a few hours later there had been all sorts of painting supplies on my bed, a note attached from Konan. I'd been in the shower, trying to occupy my time since I had nothing to do, and I was extremely surprised to find the supplies on my bed. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to talk to Konan, _especially_ disappointed that I didn't have the chance to thank her. I'd known that I could thank her when she returned later with my dinner. She left me some rather yummy food as well, so I'd munched on my lunch all alone. In the note, she'd left me a short message; I knew exactly what it'd said too.

 _Sada-chan,_

 _Here's a special little present to brighten your day. I'm sorry I couldn't be here to share lunch with you, Pein and I have had many things to discuss over the last few days. A few things involving your training and such. I'll inform you about that later on though. I'll see you at dinner_ =)

 _Konan_

When Konan had stopped by for dinner later, she'd told me that Pein had put Itachi fully in charge of my training. Pein hadn't really cared when Itachi started my training, as long as he _did_ train me as ordered. On Konan's way to bring me dinner, Kisame had told her that Itachi wouldn't be informing me of my training for a few days. According to Konan, he wasn't feeling too well. I didn't know what was wrong with him, nor did I care. If that meant that I wouldn't have to deal with training for a little longer, then so be it. I was perfectly content with getting a nice little break from training; my body had actually managed to fully heal by yesterday. I was happy with that, there were no more cuts all over my body anymore. I also knew that Itachi wouldn't take it easy on me at all, he was an S-Ranked Criminal and from the treatment I'd recently received from him…I knew he was quite a merciless shinobi. Also, Itachi had killed his entire clan so he was rather tough. In short, he was a heartless murderer that had ruined Sasuke's life. I wanted to get revenge on Itachi for hurting my best friend the way he had, but I knew I was too weak to succeed. I knew I'd more than likely wind up getting myself killed if I so much as _tried_ to attack him. A blink of an eye and bam! Mental torture world all over again, I didn't want to really experience that again so I'd wait and watch…for now.

The time now was about…wait. I looked over my shoulder at the clock, a frown sitting on my lips. That's right; it was almost eight in the morning. I didn't really know why I wasn't sleeping well, but I had a little bit of an idea. I guessed it was because I felt threatened in this place, I didn't feel like I was safe. The thought, as well as the _fact_ , that a bunch of murderers lived here really terrified me to no end. I was constantly worried that one of them would walk in my room and attack me or something; I guessed that the knowledge floating in the subconscious part of my mind didn't help me sleep easily at night. I knew that none of them really _would_ come in my room and attack me, but that still didn't help ease my anxiety. Konan had told me about how some of them didn't listen to orders all that well and even though Pein had ordered that I couldn't be attacked, it didn't mean they would listen to the order. The fact that Konan wasn't here either didn't help me feel any better, I didn't mention that did I? Konan wasn't in the headquarters right now; I remembered the conversation all too well.

 _I tilted my head to the side a bit, braiding my wet hair on the left side of my head. I smiled a little to myself once I'd finished, playing with my braided pigtails. I wondered if I actually should keep my hair as long as it was now. It was debatable; I'd never had my hair down to the bottom of my back. Then again though, my hair was naturally straight, it didn't really have any body to it. I'd have to do something to keep it from looking so plain if I kept it this long. It'd actually grown since the last time I'd cut it, it was a few inches away from the bottom of my back…I'd need to cut it sometime before I started my training with Itachi. I needed it to be halfway down my back again, having long hair during training would be hard to deal with…even harder if I wasn't use to a certain length. Eh, whatever._

 _I looked up hearing my door open, smiling instantly when I saw Konan. What was she doing here so late? It was almost eleven, shouldn't she be sleeping? I was being hypocritical now; I needed to be sleeping as well. Konan getting sleep was more important than me getting sleep though; she needed her strength for her daily activities around this place. And what if she had to go do some things outside of the headquarters, she'd need all of her strength rather than most. Konan was a strong person, I'd never seen her techniques, but I could just feel that she was. I had this feeling that no one could match her strength besides Pein, she was his right hand. Apart from that, I was still a little curious why Konan was here, even though I was extremely happy to see her._

" _Konnichiwa Konan-san." I greeted, she smiled sweetly at me._

" _Shouldn't you be in bed?" she teased, I felt my cheeks go warm in embarrassment._

" _I'm not really tired." I mumbled, Konan giggled quietly._

" _You need your strength." Konan told me, shutting the door behind her. "You're not fully grown yet." I lowered my eyes, my cheeks still feeling warm; she was acting all motherly again._

" _You make it sound like I'm a child Konan-san." I said softly, Konan smiled again._

" _You are a child." she stated, I glanced up at her through my bangs. "Until you're eighteen, you're a child."_

" _Couldn't you call me a teenager rather than a child?" I inquired, twiddling my fingers. "Child makes me feel like I'm six or something." Konan chuckled, walking across the room, taking a seat across from me on my bed._

" _Very well dear, you're a teenager." she agreed, I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth._

" _Arigato."_

" _It's no problem at all Sada-chan." Konan said nonchalantly._

 _I giggled quietly when she placed her hand on my head, smoothing my hair affectionately. I was really beginning to consider Konan my mother, I knew it was weird to consider someone who you barely knew your mother, but I did. Konan was the only older woman I'd ever had in my life before, the only one that actually cared about me. Konan had taken care of me, helped me feel better, it even felt like she was protecting me and keeping me safe. I didn't understand this bond I felt with her, but there was no way I was going to question it. Konan was an amazing woman, I knew that someday she'd be an even more amazing mother if she had children. By the way she talked about Pein to me, I had a bit of a feeling that she was in love with him. Her eyes always shone with admiration when she talked about him, her face lit up when she'd say his name, I just had a feeling she was deeply in love with the Akatsuki leader. I hoped that he would realize how much she cared for him; maybe they'd be together some time in the near future. Everyone needed to experience the feeling of love; it was an amazing feeling, something indescribable._

" _There's something I need to tell you Sada-chan." Konan said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I nodded, looking at the Akatsuki bracelet locked around my wrist._

" _Hai Konan-san? Is something going on?" I asked curiously, moving my eyes up to her orange ones. She smiled a little, looking slightly sad. Was she alright? "Konan-san, are you alright?"_

" _I'm fine Sada-chan." Konan promised me, continuing with patting my head. I nodded, automatically believing her words. Konan had no reason to lie to me, and I knew that she would never want to deceive me. "Pein has assigned a mission to me, so I'll be gone for a few days." I pouted, not liking this at all._

" _Demo Konan-san." I whined, not wanting her to leave. "What am I supposed to do while you're gone? How will I get food?" Konan chuckled, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling._

" _Go to the kitchen of course silly." she teased; I felt my cheeks go warm._

" _That's not what I meant." I mumbled; she chuckled again._

" _I know dear, trust me. You'll be fine, I promise they'll be good." she told me, I bit down on the inside of my jaw nervously. Sure Konan promised, but that didn't mean they would listen to her. "Would you like me to introduce you to someone so you won't be alone while I'm away?"_

 _I shook my head immediately, not wanting to meet any of these Akatsuki people just yet. Itachi and Kisame were enough of a bad experience in my eyes. The rest of these guys could be worse, there was no way I was ready to meet any of them. Konan let out a sigh, bowing her head, a few strands of blue going in her eyes._

" _You'll have to meet them eventually Sada-chan." she stated, I lowered my eyes._

" _I know." I muttered, she sighed again._

" _We'll start small, how about that?" she suggested. I looked up, a confused expression on my face. I didn't understand what she was talking about, start small? Small what…?_

" _Nani?" I asked, sounding extremely confused._

" _The person I mentioned that's around your age, you can meet him first." she told me, I cringed a little._

" _Do I have to?" I inquired, Konan nodded in confirmation._

" _Gomen Sada-chan." she apologized, smiling a little. "We do this the easy way or the hard way. The hard way being, you meet all of them at once. Which do you prefer?"_

" _Easy way." I answered quickly, Konan laughed in amusement._

" _Alright, easy way it is. When I get back, you're going to meet him." she said with a sweet tone, but she was also making it clear that I couldn't get out of it._

 _I nodded reluctantly, a little intimidated at the idea that I had to meet this guy. What would he be like? Was he like Itachi and Kisame, hopefully not. That wouldn't make me feel comfortable at all, I'd be too intimidated to ever say anything around him. Was Konan sure about this?_

" _As I said before, you both should get along well, being so close in age." she reminded me. "He's quite a fun person to talk to, I'm sure you both will get along just fine. Especially since there's a few things you both have in common that I've noticed." My eyes lit up a bit, I had things in common with this guy? What kind of things?_

" _Like what?" I asked curiously, Konan shook her head._

" _Nope, you'll have to find out for yourself." she told me, I pouted a little._

 _Couldn't Konan just tell me, I didn't like it when people kept secrets from me. They were quite the frustrating and annoying things. Now my nose was killing me, and it would be killing me until I found out about this Akatsuki member. I wanted to know about this guy, but Konan was just deciding to keep secrets and torture me. I was even beginning to think that…maybe I could be friends with this sixteen year old guy if we had things in common. Konan giggled to herself, smiling at me._

" _Trust me, surprises are better than knowing things ahead of time." she said cheerfully. I wrinkled my nose at her, not quite agreeing._

" _I don't like surprises too much." I admitted, she rolled her eyes at me._

" _Why doesn't that surprise me?" she teased, I giggled quietly. "Anyway, I need to be going now. Get some sleep Sada-chan, I'll see you in a few days or so." I nodded, watching her move up from the bed, and hugged her tightly._

" _Sayonara Konan-san." She patted my head, messing my hair up a little._

" _I'll be back before you know it." she swore._

 _I nodded, watching her walk across my wooden floor, exiting the room. I already had a plan in my mind to get food, get tons of it early in the morning, around like two and four so I'd have plenty for the rest of the day. I didn't know what I was going to do to occupy my time for a few days though, I guessed painting would have to do…like that was a bad thing._

I tapped my cheek in thought again, trying to figure out what the flower in Konan's hair had looked like. After a good few minutes' worth of thinking, my head finally clicked in place. 'That's how it looked, okay focus Sada.' I took my details brush, making sure to get in all the tiny details of the flower in Konan's hair correct. I made sure that all the folds and creases were perfect before going over them with a little darker color. I bit down on my lower lip in concentration, furrowing my brow. I had to make sure this painting was absolute perfection; I wanted to surprise Konan when she got back. I felt my lips curve into a soft smile, looking over the painting. It looked perfect, in my eyes at least. I hoped Konan would like it, I was sure I'd gotten everything about her appearance correct…maybe I needed to-

My thoughts abruptly stopped when I heard what sounded like the door swinging open. Konan wasn't here, it wasn't like she was already back from her mission, she'd just left a little over an hour ago. It was someone else…but who? I cautiously turned around, my eyes locking on the door. I swallowed hard, almost dropping my paintbrush in fear. It was him, the one person I'd been dreading to see for days, Uchiha Itachi. His Sharingan eyes were so intimidating; I could feel my body shaking in terror as I gazed into them. I managed to force myself to lower my eyes and played with my paintbrush, trying to calm myself down. I bit down on my lower lip nervously, trying to ignore all the horrible thoughts going through my head. What if he hurt me…? I almost flinched hearing his footsteps across my wooden floor, why wouldn't he go away? I yelped when he roughly grabbed my upper arm, dropping my paintbrush. He jerked my arm, forcing me to follow him out of my room, out into the hallway. I flinched a little seeing Hoshigake Kisame standing in the hallway, his back leaned against the wall.

"It seems she's fully healed." he observed, Itachi nodded in reply.

"We're beginning your training today." he said coldly, looking at me.

I nodded obediently, looking up at him through my bangs. He looked me over once before releasing my arm and turning in the direction the training room was located. He began walking down the hallway, I looked over at Kisame, hearing

"Can I trust you to walk on your own?"

I quickly nodded, following behind the elder Uchiha. I didn't want to be treated like I was some rag doll again, I'd walk on my own without complaints. I heard the shark shinobi chuckle behind me, then his heavy footsteps followed me. I played with a strand of my hair as we walked, trying to keep myself from having a panic attack. It was just training, these guys weren't allowed to kill me. Itachi seemed like the type that followed orders so I knew he wouldn't try to kill me; Pein's chakra was far more powerful than his own. Kisame had some unspoken respect for the Uchiha so I knew he would follow Itachi's example of not killing me…or injuring me to the point of death. That didn't help ease my conscious though, I was terrified of what might happen during my training. I swallowed hard, trying to get the lump out of my throat. Maybe eating breakfast this morning hadn't been the best idea, I felt like I was going to vomit. I skid to a stop, keeping myself from bumping into Itachi's back, and he pulled open the door of the training room. He walked inside without looking back at me, I quickly followed him without question. I looked around the room, not all that impressed with it. It didn't really have anything in it, but I saw another door on the opposite end of the room. What was in there?

I jumped in surprise, feeling a hand placed on my shoulder, and looked back to find the shark shinobi smirking at me. I bit down on my lower lip nervously, wondering what was going to happen now.

"Go on to the middle of the room." he ordered, I quickly nodded.

I moved out of his touch, walking across the training room, and stood in the middle as instructed. I played with some of my blue violet hair, still wondering what was going on. I moved my gaze from the blue skinned man, looking at Itachi. He was leaning back against the wall, his Sharingan eyes locked on me.

"Girl." I flinched a little at Itachi's cold tone, his eyes still gazing at me emotionlessly. "Kisame will be training you today, I will be observing." he told me in a monotone voice, I nodded. "If you do not fight with your full strength, you will die."

I felt my eyes widen, I thought they weren't allowed to kill me. Next thing I knew, chakra had appeared behind me. I slowly turned, my eyes locking on the bandaged sword when it swung at my face. I ducked, avoiding the hit from the sword, but received a kick to the stomach. I went flying through the air, hitting one of the walls before dropping in a ball on the floor. I groaned quietly in pain, pushing my body slightly off the floor. My poor stomach, now I _definitely_ felt like I was going to vomit. I jumped backwards when I saw a sandal come at my face, barely managing to avoid it. I landed in a crouched position on the floor, doing a back handspring to dodge the next attack from the same-hada. I landed on my feet this time, wincing at the pain in my stomach. He hadn't used a good half of his strength for that kick of his, I was lucky none of my ribs were broken from the assault. I held my stomach, looking at the former Kirigakure shinobi through my bangs.

"Come now little one, you'll have to do better than that." he mocked, laughing in amusement; I took a deep breath.

I made to do some handsigns but froze in place; I couldn't mold any chakra with this bracelet of mine. How was I supposed to train to better my skills if I couldn't use my chakra? What had Pein been thinking when he said I needed to train? Did he just mean that we'd be working on my taijutsu skills rather than ninjutsu and genjutsu? I bit down on my lower lip, mentally cursing. This wasn't good, this wasn't good in the least. How was I supposed to defend myself if I couldn't use genjutsu or ninjutsu? I wasn't like Rock Lee, I couldn't just tell myself I could force myself to use taijutsu when I wasn't a specialist in it or anything. I was more into genjutsu types of attacks and ninjutsu, taijutsu was okay, but it wasn't like I could win only using one type of jutsu. If I had my sais I knew I had a better chance of surviving, but I didn't. They were back at my house in Konohagakure, locked in my weapon's chest. My sais were my special weapon, I was a genius when it came to using them. I didn't have them right now so I knew I was screwed, wait…I was pretty sure I still had one of the few kunai Konan had given me.

I plunged my hand into the pocket of my jeans, mentally sighing in relief when I pulled out a kunai. I twirled it, holding it inward, preparing for the next attack. The blue skinned man chuckled, not looking like he was expecting much from me, and disappeared from view. I looked around frantically, trying to find his position in the room. There was nowhere for him to hide, a few dark corners and that was it. Had he done some type of camouflage jutsu? I closed my eyes, focusing on my old training with Zabuza.

 _I groaned softly, pulling my face out of the dirt, and looked up through my bangs at the sandaled feet that were approaching me. I let a sigh pass through my lips, feeling like an utter disgrace to my master, I was a pathetic excuse for a shinobi._

" _Get up Sada." Zabuza ordered, stopping a few feet away from my body. I swallowed hard, slowing pushing myself up on my hands and knees. I bowed my head, my hair falling down both sides of my face._

" _I can't do it Zabuza-sama." I said softly, just accepting the fact that I didn't have any talent as a shinobi. "Don't waste your time on me, Haku-kun's the more talented shinobi." I looked up through my bangs to see Zabuza scoff at that, not looking very happy with me._

" _Pathetic." he grumbled, looking up towards the sky. I bowed my head towards the ground, feeling completely worthless._

" _Sada-chan." I looked up again, looking into a pair of brown eyes across the field. "Don't give up Sada-chan, focus. You can do it." a ten year old Haku shouted, cheering for me._

 _I felt some feeling in my chest; it felt like…I was happy to receive the encouragement. I blinked, my mouth slightly agape as I thought about this. Acceptance, I was accepted by Haku. Ever since day one he'd always been by my side, cheering me on, and never giving up hope on me. He accepted me as a shinobi, not judging my abilities. He accepted me as a comrade, never thinking that I would turn against our side. And he accepted me as a friend, knowing that I would always be there for him no matter what. Now…I needed Zabuza to accept me as a subordinate, rather than just looking at me like a hindrance. I pushed myself to my feet, ready to prove that I wasn't pathetic; I wasn't a waste of time or space. I looked away from Haku's eyes, focusing on Zabuza, a look of determination on my face._

" _One more time Zabuza-sama." I asked of him, he rolled his eyes._

" _Very well."_

 _He held his hand into a handsign, releasing a good amount of chakra. Mist blanketed the area, one of the many secret techniques from Kirigakure. Zabuza disappeared in the mist, leaving me to locate him before he attacked me. The point of this exercise was to focus on sensing chakra, finding it even though a good amount of it was hidden. Shinobi couldn't fully hide their chakra; they were able to mask most of it though to the point where it was nearly impossible to sense. What I was supposed to be doing, was finding the small amount of chakra Zabuza had been unable to cloak before he managed to attack me, dodging the attack in the nick of time. I'd been pathetic at this at first, but I knew I could do it; I could just feel it. I closed my eyes, focusing all my thoughts on locating Zabuza's chakra. I could see the layout of the area in my head, the number of different trees there were, etc._

' _Focus Sada, focus.' I bit down on my lower lip, I could feel a flicker of something…something blue…chakra. I opened my eyes, doing a backhand spring, dodging the attack from Zabuza. I did a back flip in the air, landing on my feet._

" _Very good Sada." Zabuza acknowledged, sounding slightly amused. "Let's see if you can do that more than once though."_

 _I nodded in agreement, making sure not to verbally reply. That would give away my position, and I couldn't have that. I focused again, keeping my eyes open this time rather than closed, dodging another attack. I knew that there was another point to this exercise though, I'd learnt how to sense masked chakra, but I needed to be able to stop where the attacks were coming from. That meant, I would have to find Zabuza before he found me again. I pulled out a kunai, focusing._

' _There.' I ran towards one of the trees, focusing chakra into my feet, and jumped up towards the tree branch. I landed, jabbing my kunai through Zabuza's arm warmer and pinned his arm to the tree. The mist disappeared from the area, Zabuza chuckled quietly._

" _It appears as though you understood the other point of the exercise." he mused, I felt a smile tug at my lips._

 _Zabuza pulled the kunai out of his arm warmer, handing it back to me. I felt my cheeks go hot when he patted my head, this was something different than what I was used to._

 _"Job well done Sada." I smiled at the praise, happy to receive it from the man I admired so much._

" _Arigato gosaimasu Zabuza-sama." I said, feeling breathless. He patted my head again, jumping down from the tree. I followed him, landing on bent knees, and Haku bolted to my side._

" _Sada-chan that was great." he exclaimed, I stood straight._

" _Arigato Haku-kun." I said with a sweet tone. I rubbed my arm and looked up at him through my bangs. "I couldn't have done it without you though." Haku rolled his eyes, shoving my arm playfully._

" _I didn't do anything silly." he teased, I giggled quietly._

" _You cheered for me." I reminded him; he tilted his head to the side a bit. "You told me that I could do it…and I did. If it wasn't for you, I would've given up Haku-kun." Haku smiled at me, hugging me tightly. I smiled into his shoulder, hugging him back. "I love you Haku."_

" _I love you too best friend." Haku replied. I smiled into his shoulder again, mentally thanking him for everything he'd done for me._

My eyes snapped open when I sensed his chakra, and I darted in the direction I knew Kisame was hiding. I launched the kunai into one of the dark corners, quickly pulling another out of my pocket. I heard a cling from Kisame's sword blocking the kunai and jumped backwards when the bandaged sword came at me. The sword made an indent in the ground from how hard the impact was before it was swung towards my face. I leaned back, the sword swinging over my body, and planted one hand on the ground. I pushed my body to do a back flip and managed to kick the sword out of Kisame's grip. I was surprised when the sword flew off in some direction, but I made sure to stay focused on the shark shinobi rather than his sword. I lunged forward, swiping at his face with the kunai, and he backhanded me across the face. My body flew through the air at how hard he'd hit me and I tumbled across the floor. I looked up through my bangs, mentally cursing when I saw he already had his sword in hand. How was I going to survive this battle?

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter!  
**


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SASORI'S ROOM  
_

The red haired puppeteer allowed a quiet sigh to pass through his parted lips as he continued to blankly stare over his newly written formulas. He was sure he'd gotten all his calculations correct, if not, the poison he was attempting to compose wouldn't work the way he was planning. That meant, that if he didn't develop his poison correctly, he wouldn't manage to develop the proper antidote. So many things could go wrong with just one small miscalculation, even the wrong amount of one substance could ruin an entire poison or antidote. With being a former Sunagakure prodigy, the likelihood of him miscalculating _anything_ was slim to none. The chance was still present though and it wasn't a chance he was willing to take, he needed to read over the formulas at least one more time.

Sasori lightly tapped his cheek with the end of his pencil, all the calculations running through his brain. He blinked, lowering the pencil to the paper, and made a small correction. A light tapping noise echoed in the room, a pencil eraser tapping against the mahogany desk top as the red head looked over the rest of the formulas. He nodded to himself, seeing that the mistake hadn't caused him to screw up the rest of the equations and calculations, and placed his pencil next to the paper. He pulled open a drawer from his desk, taking out a pale yellow folder, and dropped it on the desk after closing the drawer. He opened up the folder, his head turned almost robotically when a light knock came from outside his room. The artist sighed quietly, not understanding why he would be interrupted when it was almost eight in the evening, and rose from his seat. If it was his blonde partner, he would be slamming the door in his face without hesitation.

Sasori gracefully crossed the room and reached for the handle, pushing it down. He barely opened the door, looking around the door into the hallway. He blinked, sighing lazily. He pulled the door open the rest of the way, looking up at the bipolar spy of the Akatsuki.

"Ah, konbanwa Sasori-san." Zetsu's white side greeted. His lips stretched into a wide and amused smile, showing off his sharpened teeth. Sasori nodded curtly, a dull look in his grey orbs.

"What do you need?" he asked unenthusiastically, running a hand through his bright red hair.

"Leader-sama wishes to speak with you." Zetsu's black side informed him, growing annoyed with his carefree side. The puppeteer nodded again, looking a little more interested than he had been a moment before.

"Very well, I'll go see him this instant." he stated, not wanting to keep their leader waiting.

Zetsu turned away from the red head, walking down the hallway without another word. Sasori sighed and walked across the room to his closet. He quickly pulled his cloak off its hanger, sliding his arms through the sleeves as he head back across the room to the door. He exited his bedroom, closing the door behind him, and started down the hallway towards Pein's office. His light footsteps echoed in every direction as he walked a little faster than he normally would've, he hated to keep people waiting, it was something he'd developed with age. He went around a corner, placing his hands in the pockets of his cloak as he walked, he made sure to avoid the childish subordinate that was running the halls at full speed. He wondered what Pein needed to see him about; did it have something to do with the child Itachi brought in? He, like most of the members, had yet to even _see_ the child. He knew that both Konan and Pein had met the child, Konan being assigned as her caretaker and guardian. Kisame and Itachi had been the ones to bring the child to the headquarters, and Itachi was instructing the girl's training. The rest of the members didn't even know what the girl looked like; they'd never seen her around the headquarters in the time that she'd been there.

Sasori pondered over her abilities, the few abilities he knew of that is. Pein seemed exceptionally interested in them so her abilities had to be worthwhile. Maybe when Pein decided she would no longer be of use to them, he could make her body into one of his creations if he liked how her abilities worked. He blinked, stopping infront of Pein's office, and lightly knocked on the door.

"Come in, Sasori."

Sasori's face dropped to looking even more emotionless than it normally did as he opened the door and stepped inside the room. He shut the door behind him and looked up through his bangs at Pein sitting behind his desk. Sasori took a slow breath and walked further into the room, moving into a respectful bow when he was close enough to the desk. He flicked his eyes up from the floor after a moment, finding Pein's face, and moved out of his bow when he realized he could do so without seeming disrespectful.

"Sasori." Pein repeated; Sasori nodded.

"You summoned me, Leader-sama." Sasori stated; Pein nodded in agreement.

"I received an intelligence report not too long ago from one of our loyal spies in Kumogakure." he told the puppeteer, entwining his fingers in thought. The red head nodded, Hidan and Kakuzu had been to Kumogakure not too long ago. Did this have something to do with their last mission?

"Has something happened then?" he inquired, Pein nodded again.

"It seems as though another spy of ours, has betrayed our trust. He is currently on the move to inform Konohagakure of the rest of our members." Sasori narrowed his eyes, it looked like Pein would be sending he and Deidara to assassinate the traitor.

"Nande Konohagakure?" he questioned, Pein narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the thought that entered his mind.

"You remember Itachi mentioning Jiraiya and Hatake Kakashi knowing of Akatsuki?" Sasori nodded. "We know Jiraiya was the one who informed Kakashi of us, but this spy informed Jiraiya of the organization. We need to kill the source; I'll be sending you and Deidara to do this." Pein ordered, sounding emotionless. Sasori nodded again. "I would like you both to not draw attention to yourselves, but kill all spies that are not your sleeper agents Sasori."

"As you wish Leader-sama, we'll depart this evening." he told the Akatsuki leader, bowing again in respect.

"Very good, you are dismissed."

Sasori rose from his bow and exited the room, walking down the dimly lit hallway. It seemed as though he would be taking Hiruko on this mission of their's, it looked as if it would be at _least_ a month long mission. Pein wanted them to assassinate _all_ of their spies in the world, that was _at least_ two in every country. He could of course take all his sleeper agents out of the calculations, which were fewer to assassinate but that was still a large amount of work. Not to mention he'd be spending a good amount of time with his obnoxious teenage partner, this was going to be hell for him.

Sasori stopped infront of his partner's door, knocking louder than he normally did. He waited for a moment, lightly tapping his foot against the floor. He was growing impatient, Deidara knew better than anyone to keep him waiting. He knocked again, louder than the first time, and heard a crash. He rolled his eyes at his partner's incompetence and heard

"I'm coming already, sheesh hm." the blonde grumbled, Sasori's folded his arms across his chest. The door opened slowly, a disheveled blonde standing in the doorway. "Nani Sasori no danna? I'm a little busy if you couldn't-"

"We have a mission Deidara." Sasori interrupted, not wanting to hear the blonde's complaints. Deidara blinked, tilting his head to the side. A mission, so late in the evening?

"What's going on danna?" he inquired curiously, Sasori ran a hand through his messy red hair.

"Leader-sama wishes for us to assassinate all our agents." he answered, Deidara's right eye widened in confusion.

"Nande?"

"It seems one of them leaked information about us to Konohagakure and is intending on relaying more information to the same enemy." he informed him, Deidara narrowed his eye in annoyance.

"Demo Sasori no danna, that means that if Konohagakure gets this information-"

"Then the rest of the countries will be informed as well." Sasori finished. "Be ready within ten minutes Deidara."

Deidara nodded in agreement and watched as Sasori retreated down the hallway in the direction of his room. The blonde turned back into his room, without bothering to close the door and sighed tiredly, today was going to last even longer than he'd first thought. If they used one of his birds during their travel though, they'd be able to intercept the enemy quicker than planned, he needed to make sure he brought enough clay for that. He went through his room, gathering supplies as he went, making sure to fill his clay bags with his newly made clay. He chewed on his lower lip as he prepared everything, his thoughts being focused on Sada as he did so.

He still hadn't received a reply from her and it'd almost been three weeks, he wasn't surprised that she was angry with him but it'd been so long since he'd spoken to her. He missed her with all his being, and he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to take this separation from her. It was tearing him up on the inside and soon enough, everyone would be able to see it on the outside. He was doing a decent job of acting normal around the headquarters but when he was all alone, he didn't have to hide how much it was hurting him. Two months ago, he wouldn't have understood why it was hurting him so badly. He would've told himself that it was just a girl; there was no reason for him to get upset over one measly girl, that the world was full of them. Now, he couldn't think something like that. He loved this girl more than he thought was ever possible, and he missed being with her. Adults just didn't understand how hard it could be for teenagers, with crazy hormones and insane emotions; it wasn't easy in the least.

Deidara snapped his head up when there was a knock on his door and looked to see Hiruko slouched in his doorway, Sasori hidden safely inside for their traveling. He scoffed at the hideous puppet, and Hiruko's low voice growled

"Are you ready yet, Deidara?"

"Almost hm." he mumbled, pushing his arms through the sleeves in his cloak.

He attached both bags of clay on either side of his hips and grabbed his bamboo hat after buttoning up his cloak. He placed his hat on his head and exited his room, following Sasori down the hallway.

"We'll need to be quick on this mission Deidara, so don't toy with your opponents." Sasori instructed, Deidara grinned beneath his hat.

"Of course, Sasori no danna." he teased, sounding sarcastic. "I know how you _loath_ waiting and all."

"Deidara." Sasori growled threateningly. "Don't mock me." Deidara grinned again.

Maybe this mission would manage to distract him from his pain, even if for just a while.

* * *

 _HI NO KUNI; KONOHAGAKURE_

Meanwhile in Hi no Kuni, Konohagakure was slowly rebuilding itself from their latest battle with the shinobi of Sunagakure and Otogakure. The citizens were looking to the Elders for guidance until a new Hokage was appointed, while the Jounin of the village were instructing the village cleanup and such. Until Jiraiya returned from his journey and brought back Tsunade, Konohagakure would merely have to be patient. They had made a new alliance with the shinobi of Sunagakure so they weren't expecting an attack from the other villages while they had the support of their new allies.

Sarutobi Asuma sighed to himself as he continued down the street in the direction of the Hokage's building, thinking over everything going on around the Konoha shinobi. Life had become so much harder around the village with the events that had taken place not too long ago, all the citizens were still emotionally hurting at the loss of the Hokage, Asuma being the worst. He hadn't only lost the leader of his village, but his father as well. After all the time he had spent at odds with his father, he was beginning to understand why the Third had said the things he said. After all the years of being confused about certain things, they were all slowly becoming clear to him.

He flicked his cigarette, watching the ashes dance in the wind towards the ground, and placed it between his lips. He inhaled slowly then exhaled, he didn't understand why or how he'd developed the habit but it was too late for him to quit now. He looked away from the dirt; a smile came to his lips when he saw Yuhi Kurenai talking with Mitarashi Anko right outside the Hokage building. So it seemed as though they'd beat him there, he wasn't too surprised by that, women always made sure to be early for important meetings. He took another hit of his cigarette as he drew closer to the women, blowing the smoke up towards the cloudy heavens.

"Asuma." Kurenai greeted, smiling at the raven haired man.

"Ooi Kurenai, Anko. Are Tenzo, Kotetsu, and Izumo inside already?" he inquired, dropping his cigarette. He stomped out the small flame and looked up in time to see Anko nod her head in agreement.

"Hai, we were just waiting for you to get your lazy ass here." she teased, putting her hands behind her head.

Asuma rolled his eyes in amusement at the woman's tone of voice, shaking his head to himself. Anko could be just like Uzumaki Naruto sometimes with her tomboyish attitude and playful demeanor, Asuma always had a few good laughs when he talked with her.

"Well, let's go ahead inside then." he suggested, both women nodded in agreement.

The three of them walked up the stairs together, Asuma shoving one hand in his pocket as they walked. Anko stared up towards the clouds as she walked, making sure not to get too distracted, she didn't want to knock the woman walking beside her down the stairs on accident. Kurenai played with a small strand of her hair as they walked, not able to keep all the troubling thoughts from coming out of her mouth.

"This is all getting so complicated, you know?" Kurenai commented, her companions turned their attention to the red eyed woman. "We're without a Hokage, Jiraiya-sama declined the offer to be our new Hokage and disappeared somewhere, and these Akatsuki men have attacked…all in just a few days. Both Kakashi and Sasuke are out cold, trapped in that illusionary world or whatever it is, and-"

"Kurenai." Kurenai moved her eyes to Asuma's, smiling a little at the hand placed on her shoulder. "Everything will work out; you don't need to worry yourself so much." Asuma told her, managing to relax her with his calm tone of voice.

"Yeah, you'll get all sorts of wrinkles and stuff." Anko joked; Kurenai rolled her eyes towards the clouds.

"Arigato Anko." she said, sounding especially sarcastic.

Anko grinned widely, happy she could put her friend in a better mood than she'd been in. She knew that Kurenai was one to worry when bad things were going on. Kurenai looked at Asuma, smiling softly.

"Arigato Asuma." she whispered, he smiled genuinely at her.

"Anytime."

She smiled again and they all entered one of the private rooms in the building, three people already waiting in the room for their arrival; Hagane Kotetsu, Kamizuki Izumo, and Tenzo. Asuma shut the door behind them, making sure no one was around to hear their conversation, and walked further into the room. He took a seat next to Kurenai on the windowsill, watching Tenzo lean against the wall while Anko sat cross-legged on the floor, and Kotetsu and Izumo sat on the large desk.

"So…what do we know from the latest Anbu departure?" Asuma inquired, Tenzo bowed his head in thought.

"I received a report from Uzuki Yugao, apparently the first Anbu squad was torn to shreds in a battle of some sort." he told them, folding his arms across his chest. "According to Yugao, the enemy's style was similar to that of Hoshigaki Kisame's. The other Anbu squads have yet to locate Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki's whereabouts, but we're sure the first Anbu squad must've been on their trail before being slaughtered."

"What about Sada?" Kurenai asked, feeling worried for the young girl's safety. "Have they found her body or anything?"

"According to Yugao, they found a torn glove with her scent on it, but that was all. We suspect she may still be alive." Tenzo said, running a hand through his brown hair. Anko scratched her cheek in thought, sighing quietly.

"What could they possibly want with that girl? I know that she has talents, the Forest of Death challenge proved that, but she seems just like your average Chunin." she pondered.

"Wrong." Everyone's gaze snapped to Tenzo, he raised his face up from the floor to look all his companions in the eye. "She's no normal child."

"What do you mean?" Kotetsu questioned, feeling rather confused.

"During the first Exam, we didn't sense anything off about her." Izumo stated, Tenzo sighed.

"During the time that Orochimaru held Hokage-sama hostage, a few of my companions and myself witnessed the battle between them. Before they got around to fighting each other though, the girl was there." he explained, tapping his fingers against his forearm. "She did a fair job holding her own against Orochimaru, but she had a power that wasn't normal."

"What do you mean?" Kurenai asked, feeling just as confused as she sounded. She didn't understand what Tenzo was getting at, was he saying that Sada wasn't human? Tenzo sighed, turning his gaze to the ceiling.

"She went through things." Silence engulfed the room, five pairs of eyes widened in shock.

"She…went through things." Kotetsu repeated; Tenzo nodded bluntly.

"It wasn't a normal jutsu in the least, she performed no handsigns." he informed them.

"That has to be why they kidnapped her then." Anko concluded; Izumo nodded in agreement.

"I never knew an ability like that was in our village." he mumbled, scratching his ear. Asuma lit another cigarette, placing it between his lips in thought.

"I don't believe any of us knew, Kakashi never mentioned anything about her possessing something like that to us." he reminisced, Kurenai played with the hem of her sleeve as she thought over all the conversations she'd had with Kakashi.

"He told us she was originally from Kuraigakure." she commented, Anko looked at her puzzled.

"Kuraigakure? That makes no sense." she said, moving to her feet. "Kuraigakure does not allow their citizens outside the village. It's been that way for a good number of years, almost a decade now. How could she be from there if-"

"We're not sure." Tenzo interrupted, scratching his head. "Kakashi-sempai and myself were doing a background check on her before Uchiha and Hoshigaki showed up. We were attempting to find out some things about her, but so far we've come up with nothing."

"Kakashi told Kurenai and myself that she apparently worked with Momochi Zabuza during her childhood." Asuma stated, taking another hit of his cigarette. Tenzo nodded, thinking things over a little more than he had been for the past week or so.

"He informed me of the same thing." he agreed, chewing the inside of his jaw.

"I still feel sorry for the poor child; working under a S-Ranked Criminal isn't much of a childhood." Kurenai said softly, Anko nodded agreeing.

"Has she ever opened up to anyone, a fellow Genin perhaps?" she inquired, Asuma shook his head.

"The only other Genin I've seen her associate herself with in the village was Uchiha Sasuke." the raven haired Jounin admitted. "We can't ask him anything while he's in his current condition." Kurenai nodded, never having seen Sada associate with any of the other Genin.

"Well…" All eyes turned to Izumo, and he shrugged. "I've seen her walking around with that red head from Sunagakure, along with the other two on his team. Perhaps they know more about her."

"Sunagakure is currently dealing with the loss of the Fourth Kazekage, we have no right to interfere with their lives at this time." Tenzo stated, Izumo nodded.

"Although…" Everyone's eyes turned to Kotetsu. "There was another, a blonde boy that she was always with. I believe he might've been her boyfriend, they were almost always together every day that I saw them." he explained.

"Could you give a detailed description of him?" Kurenai inquired. "Perhaps we could find him, and he could tell us a little more about Sada." Kotetsu nodded, saying

"He was about five six or so, long blonde hair that he pulled up in a ponytail like hairstyle. Blue eyes, his bangs covered the left side of his face. Chakra suggested he was almost Jounin rank, at least sixteen years old." Tenzo nodded, heading in the direction of the door.

"Kurenai, Asuma, please come with me. We'll see the rest of you later." Asuma and Kurenai nodded and followed Tenzo out of the room, down the hallway of the huge building.

"Where exactly are we going Tenzo?" Kurenai inquired, rubbing her arm in thought.

"I've heard a description like that before, I just can't place where. We'll be going through record's room." he answered. "I'm sure someone in there can help us." Kurenai tilted her head to the side, confused like.

"Demo…I've never seen someone like that around the village before Tenzo. He can't have been a shinobi of Konoha." she pointed out, Asuma nodded in agreement.

"I don't believe he is." Tenzo stated, opening up the door to the record's room.

The three Jounin walked into the record's room, looking around at the file cabinets and bookshelves spread out across the large room. One of the secretaries bolted across the room to the three Jounin, saying

"Do you need something Tenzo-san?"

"Hai. Do you remember ever coming across a record or file for a boy about sixteen years old? Long blonde hair in a ponytail, blue eyes? Maybe moved into the village not too long ago?" he inquired, the woman shook her head.

"No…but the description sounds very familiar to someone else." she pondered, putting a finger to her cheek. "Oh! Wait, you must be talking about Iwagakure no Deidara."

"Iwagakure no Deidara?" Kurenai repeated, confusion in her voice.

"Hai. He was a prodigy of Iwagakure, sure to become the Tsuchikage one day." she explained, remembering a good number of facts from the file. "Demo…he went on a killing spree, blowing up a good fourth of the village, assassinating the elders of his village, and he went around the world as a terrorist bomber for at least a year. He hasn't been heard from since, many think he died. Ano, you'd probably rather read the file than hear me talk. Wait one moment please."

The secretary retreated into the file cabinets, trying to find the file on Iwagakure no Deidara. She wrinkled her nose when she couldn't find it and looked towards her coworker, saying

"Oi, Asami. The file on Iwagakure no Deidara, where is it?"

"I just finished transferring it into the Bingo Book, would you mind putting it away for me?" she asked, the girl nodded.

"In a minute, Tenzo-san needs to look at it for some classified information." Asami nodded, handing the book over to the younger girl, and she trotted back to Tenzo's side. "Here you go sir, please don't leave the room with it." she asked of him.

"Arigato Chiya-san."

The girl nodded and bowed to the shinobi before turning back to her filing duties. Tenzo sighed and opened up the Bingo Book, rifling through the pages.

"You know…" Asuma looked at the raven haired woman curiously, she smiled sadly. "I hope she was wrong. If this boy really is Iwagakure no Deidara, that would mean that Sada…" She stopped, lowering her eyes.

"It would mean she betrayed us or was fooled by this boy." Asuma finished, taking another hit of his cigarette. Kurenai nodded, happy that she had someone that could finish her sentences for her when she was unable to.

"She seemed just like Hinata, a sweet girl." Kurenai said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "She doesn't come off as the type to betray her comrades."

"I agree Kurenai, demo-"

"Found him, I knew the description sounded familiar."

Kurenai and Asuma looked over Tenzo's shoulder, their eyes widening in shock. It was exactly as Kotetsu described, the long blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail like style, the bangs covering the left side of the face, the bright blue eyes, this was him. It was Iwagakure no Deidara, this must've been Sada's boyfriend from the description Kotetsu had given them.

"It is him then." Asuma stated; Tenzo nodded.

"This is getting all the more complicated." Kurenai whispered. Asuma put out his cigarette before quickly lighting another, all this new information was slowly beginning to eat at him. "And with Kakashi still unconscious, we can't tell him about any of this yet."

"We'll have to wait for Jiraiya-sama and Naruto to return with Tsunade-sama. She's Kakashi-sempai's only hope." Tenzo pointed out, sighing quietly.

"What about Sada then, she's still been captured by two S-Ranked Criminals and we don't know her whereabouts or condition. What are we supposed to do about that, we can't just abandon the child." Kurenai stated; Asuma nodded in agreement.

"We'll have to wait for Tsunade-sama to return to the village, we can't dispatch anymore Anbu from the village without the permission of a Hokage. We'll wait for her instructions, and we'll take action if ordered to do so." Tenzo said, Kurenai wrinkled her brow in frustration.

"And if not?" she pressed, Tenzo sighed.

"Then the girl's dead anyway, there's nothing we can do about it." he said apathetically. Kurenai looked at Asuma for support, he shook his head. Kurenai lowered her eyes, not wanting to admit that a rescue was _nearly_ hopeless.

"What will we tell Kakashi?" she questioned, Tenzo eased the Bingo Book shut. He looked over his shoulder at the both of them, saying

"The truth, we can't lie to him about this."

"What about Sasuke?" Asuma said bluntly, Tenzo lowered his eyes. "He was very close with the girl, and we all know how determined that boy is to get revenge on his brother.

"When he finds out that he kidnapped Sada-"

"Kakashi-sempai will explain it to him, we can't interfere with that." Both Jounin nodded grudgingly, and Tenzo sighed quietly to himself. "I need to be going; I have some things I need to report. I'll see the two of you later."

Tenzo handed the Bingo Book back to Chiya and exited the record's room, leaving Kurenai and Asuma alone. They both walked out of the room slowly, not saying anything to each other. Both were lost in their own thoughts as the descended the stairs, thinking over all that had been said during their meeting. After they had left the Hokage's building, they walked in the direction of the lake so they could have some private time together to discuss all this.

"He's being heartless if you ask me." Kurenai finally said, Asuma sighed.

"We can't do anything about it Kurenai." he pointed out, she glared angrily.

"If it had been any other child, he wouldn't be saying those things." she spat, Asuma took out another cigarette. They both sat down side by side, close to the lake. No one was around to bother the couple, so they could discuss anything without their secret being found out.

"I know, but what can we do about it?" he asked, sounding nonchalant. Kurenai lowered her head in thought, saying

"Talk to Tsunade-sama when she comes back with Jiraiya-sama." Asuma looked over at the woman and she lifted her head, her eyes shining. "You _have_ to have a little say so in things around here, your father was the Third. Perhaps if you just talk with her about it, maybe she'll send a few more Anbu to find her. Some tracker dogs would help immensely; if they kept the glove they could use the scent to find her. You know your father would've Asuma." Asuma sighed and placed his hand on the raven haired woman's, smiling a little at her.

"Alright, I'll try." he promised. She smiled sweetly, blushing a light pink when he pressed his lips against her forehead.

"Jerk." she grumbled. He laughed in amusement and pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his nose in her hair.

"You know you still love me." he teased, she nodded into his shoulder.

"Very much." she whispered, sighing contently.

Despite their best efforts, they would both come to realize that a rescue operation was a vain attempt.

* * *

 **Author's Note: No Sada action this chapter but it was still an important one.  
**


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS: SADA'S ROOM_

I turned over on my side, wincing in pain when I accidentally turned my arm a way it shouldn't have went. I absentmindedly grabbed my shoulder, holding my left arm close to my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut and grit my teeth, trying my hardest to ignore the pain coursing through my arm. I grinded my teeth slowly, wincing again when I realized how tightly I was holding my injured arm to my chest and let up a bit on the pressure. I took in a slow breath through my mouth and exhaled through my nose, trying to calm myself down. I needed to get my arm checked out by someone, it'd been killing me for days and it'd only been getting worse throughout my training. My arm wasn't my only injury though, I had a good number of others at this moment. Currently, my left arm was twisted and had almost been ripped out of its socket (that was putting it lightly, I suspected it to be broken or fractured), my right ankle was sprained, my jaw was swollen, my lower lip was split and cracked, my left eye was blacked, my ribs were bruising, my stomach was sore as hell, my right side from my hip down was bruised badly, and I had the worse migraine headache imaginable. As soon as I'd woken up, all the pain in each individual part of my body had hit me at the same time; this was not turning out to be a good morning for me.

I winced when I could feel the mattress pressing roughly against my injured hip and turned over on my back, making sure to avoid straining my body more than I needed to. I stared up at the ceiling as I laid there, mentally telling myself that I needed to drag myself out of bed to eat my breakfast, but I couldn't find the strength to do anything but stare at the darkened ceiling. The main thoughts running through my head, were concerning Deidara. It was a horrible feeling being without him, I didn't think I'd ever experience any physical pain that could match up with the emotional pain I was feeling right now. Even the pain I was in now didn't measure up to the heartache I was experiencing, I had lost one of the most important people in the world to me and I had a feeling I'd never see Deidara again. I was a pessimistic person by nature, I knew there was a _slight_ chance of seeing him again, but I didn't want to get my hopes up before they were crushed. The last time I'd trusted someone's words, I'd had my heart broken so why should my own words be looked at differently than another person's. I blinked, pushing all my negative thoughts to the back of my mind, and moved my head to the side to stare at the clock.

'6:55, just great. They'll be here any minute to get me up for training, but I can't do anything in this condition. I can barely move around in this bed, let alone bolt around the training room at lightning speed. There's no way I can go to training today and _actually_ do my best.'

I sighed quietly and closed my eyes, trying to fall back asleep. Maybe if they saw how beat up I was then they wouldn't bother…. I flinched hearing the door of my room swing open and slowly opened my red eyes, if hoping wouldn't work then perhaps begging would. I couldn't battle Kisame in this condition; I'd be even more of a rag doll than I already was. I blinked; I could hear Itachi's light footsteps cross the room towards my bed. I turned over on my right side, flinching again at the pain in my hip. I knew the pain in my hip wasn't as severe as the pain in my arm so I made sure not to yelp out loud like I normally would've, I needed to have a _little_ pride. I moved my eyes up, locking my gaze with the elder Uchiha's Sharingan. I stared up at him, feeling completely pathetic and helpless. I'd known S-Ranked Criminals were awful people, but I hadn't known that some didn't possess a shred of decency and humanity to them. That was exactly how Uchiha Itachi seemed to be, inhumane and indecent.

The Uchiha prodigy looked me over once more before turning back in the direction of the door and walking across the room. I followed him with my eyes; I could see that Kisame was standing in the hallway, waiting for us to come out of the room. I watched Itachi stop in the doorway, and he looked back at me over his shoulder when he didn't hear me get up.

"You have training, let's go." Itachi ordered, I flinched back at the order.

"Ano…" I stopped when I saw both of them looking at me, Kisame with an amused look and Itachi with his usual monotone expression. "I-I-I…think my a-arm's b-broken." Itachi blinked coolly while Kisame chuckled darkly, there was his sadistic side coming out again.

"How'd you manage that, little one?" he teased, I shrunk back into the safety of my covers.

"Ano…" I mumbled, not really having any idea what to say.

I glanced up at the two of them through my bangs, feeling extremely nervous about what would happen next. I didn't know if they would make me train with a partially broken arm or if they would fix it for me, it was sad to say I wasn't sure in the least what they were thinking.

"Itachi-san, I'm quite sure Kakuzu hasn't been assigned a mission since Kumogakure. He can fix her arm, couldn't he?" Kisame inquired, Itachi let a quiet sigh slip pass through his parted lips.

"We have no alternative, do we?" Itachi said, his voice sounded like he wasn't expecting Kisame to answer him. "Find Kakuzu and bring him to the girl's roo-"

"Itachi-san, is something wrong with Sada?"

I felt my lips stretch into a wide smile, and my eyes lit up in the happiness I hadn't known for days. I managed to ignore the pain and pushed myself into a sitting position with my uninjured hand. I felt my smile widen when I saw Konan standing next to Kisame in the hallway, she was back from her mission after five long days without her. I held my arm close to my chest gingerly, trying not to damage it more than it already was.

"Konan-san!" I exclaimed happily, she smiled sweetly at me.

"Ohayou Sada-chan."

She walked away from Kisame and entered the room without so much as an "excuse me" when she lightly bumped Itachi's shoulder. She came to my side and sat next to me, her smile slipped off her face when she saw the injuries on my face. She narrowed her orange orbs in what looked like anger and whipped her head around to glare at the Sharingan user.

"What have you put this child through during training? She's a mess."

Konan didn't sound very happy with him, she sounded extremely disapproving. I hadn't ever heard her sound like that before, and it was a totally different experience to see Konan so angry rather than polite. I wasn't so much scared of how she was acting, I just didn't like to see her so upset. Again, I hadn't known her that long but I felt a sort of bond with Konan. I was sure she felt the same thing about me, why else would she be so protective of me?

"I've been having Kisame train her few the past few days." Itachi replied emotionlessly, his arms folded across his chest as he spoke. "With her being unable to mold chakra and perform chakra based jutsu, taijutsu has been the only way to train her." Konan wrinkled her brow, looking even more angry than she had been a second before, and turned her attention to Kisame.

"So you've been training her then?" she repeated, he nodded. "For how long?"

"About five days or so." Kisame replied casually, I could see Konan's jaw lock in place.

It looked as though she was thinking something over because she didn't say anything for a few good seconds. She turned her attention to me, and her eyes quickly scanned over my form before she looked back towards the Akatsuki duo.

"She will not be training for the next few days." she seethed, Itachi replied by saying

"Leader-sama has assigned me to train her; I've merely been following my orders as instructed."

"Well Pein has assigned me as her caretaker, therefore, I over rule you during times that she is unable to battle to the best of her best ability." Konan snapped, looking royally pissed off. "She will _not_ be training for the next few days, understood?"

Itachi nodded curtly, not looking phased in the least by her outburst. He exited the room with his pride still intact; his held still held high…metaphorically speaking. Kisame remained standing in the hallway, not really looking as though he knew what he should do. I moved my eyes away from the shark like man and instead, found Konan's concerned face staring down at all the injuries on my face. She flicked her eyes from my face, to the arm I was holding. She blinked and moved her hand to my arm, I yelped when she touched it.

"Kisame." Konan said with a calm tone, sounding rather professional. I looked up to see Kisame nod to Konan, showing her that he was listening to her. "Would you still go find Kakuzu and bring him to Sada's room?"

"Of course Konan-san, I'll be back with him in a moment." he told her, disappearing from view.

I moved my red orbs away from the door and looked at Konan, feeling horrible that I was worrying her as much as I was. I could see the torn expression on her face, as if she didn't know what she should say to me. I decided that I needed to be the one to speak first, or she more than likely never would. She didn't have children after all, so she didn't know how to handle this. I didn't blame her for that, she just needed some experience was all. I knew for a fact that she would be getting plenty of practice with me around, especially since I knew I would _always_ be a mess after training with Itachi and Kisame was over.

"Konan-san." She looked up from the bed sheets and I placed my hand over hers, smiling sweetly at her. "Don't feel bad Konan-san, it's my fault I got so hurt."

"Sada-"

"If I wasn't so weak…I wouldn't have gotten hurt so badly. Please don't blame yourself." I asked of her. She bowed her head, sighing quietly to herself.

"Sada, you being weak has nothing to do with this." she told me, looking up into my eyes.

I tilted my head to the side, feeling rather confused about what she meant. What did she mean; of course it had to do with me being weak. I wasn't strong so I had expected I'd get hurt throughout my training, what was Konan trying to tell me? I cringed when I moved my arm in a bad direction, almost yelping in pain. I clenched my teeth and felt Konan lightly place her hands on my shoulders, gently pushing me to lie back down. I took a breath, closing my eyes. My arm hurt so badly, it might've been the worse injury I had at the moment. I felt the sheets being pulled over my body and opened my eyes, staring at Konan curiously. She smiled slightly and petted the top of my head, more than likely trying to distract me from the pain coursing through my arm.

"It'll be fine Sada-chan. Kakuzu-san is the most skilled in the organization when it comes to medical jutsu, he'll manage to fix your arm." she promised, I almost nodded but forced myself not to.

"Arigato Konan-san." I whispered, I watched a small smile come to her lips.

"Don't move around too much." she advised, a sincere smile on her face. "I don't want you damaging your arm any more than it already is."

I nodded a little in agreement and sighed softly, leaning against the pillows. I watched Konan's facial expressions, trying to figure out what she was thinking. I could tell in an instant that she was still upset about how injured I was, so I said

"Konan-san." She looked at me curiously and I smiled, sticking my tongue out at her. She laughed heartily, shaking her head to herself.

"How do you make me smile in such grim situations?" she asked, I giggled quietly.

"I don't know." I whispered, smiling widely. "I just like making you happy."

I watched her eyes soften at my words; she lowered her head, her hair falling down both sides of her face. I blinked dumbly, had I said something to upset her? I mentally slapped myself at the thought, I hated the mere _idea_ of hurting Konan's feelings. She was like the mother I never had, since my own mother had left me in the hands of prison guards to die. Konan was someone special to me, what could I say to make her feel better?

"Konan-san, please don't be sad." I asked of her, she looked at me with a smile.

"Sada-chan, I'm not sad." she told me, I tilted my head against the pillows.

"You look sad though." I observed, she giggled quietly.

"Dear, I'm not sad." she assured. "When you told me you like making me happy, I just felt overjoyed by your words."

"Nande?" I questioned, she patted the top of my head affectionately.

"Because I…I care about you Sada, and I'm glad you care about me." she said honestly, I felt a small smile come to my lips. "You're so young Sada, and you need someone in your life that will take care of you. Like a…a…"

"Oka-san." I whispered; she nodded a little.

"What ever happened to your own Oka-san, Sada-chan?" she inquired, I blinked at the memory.

" _Oka-san, Oka-san!" I hollered, running down the halls. I ran a little further, skidding to a stop when she and Otou-san walked out of their bedroom. "Oka-san, guess what I can do!" I jumped up and down excitedly, watching her giggle in amusement at my enthusiasm._

" _Nani Sada-chan?" she questioned, I felt a wide smile stretch across my lips._

" _I can do a backflip!" I boasted, she laughed heartily while Otou-san shook his head in amusement._

" _Well that's quite advanced for your age." she chortled, I giggled softly._

" _Wanna see?" I asked; she shook her head._

" _No Sada, that's quite alright dear. You might hurt yourself, right darling?" she asked, looking at Otou-san. He nodded in agreement, saying_

" _Your Oka-san's right Sada. You're a Hime, you shouldn't be doing anything that could hurt you." I wrinkled my nose slightly, pouting my lower lip cutely._

" _Demo Otou-san!" I whined, stomping my foot. "Oni-chan's a shinobi, why can't I be one?"_

" _You're Oni-chan is a man, he will be taking over Kuraigakure one day. He needs to be a shinobi so he can protect the people and be a practical leader, he needs to be able to think of strategies and train the other shinobi." Otou-san explained; I wrinkled my nose._

" _Why can't Nee-san or me lead the village?" I questioned, he sighed to himself._

" _Because your Oni-chan is the oldest." he said, I stomped my foot angrily._

" _That's not fair; I could be a good leader." I yelled, Oka-san gasped quietly._

" _Sada, that's enough. Don't yell at your Otou-san that way." she ordered, I growled quietly at her._

" _Make me." I shouted, feeling enraged._

 _I was so furious, I could feel all my rage building up inside me, it was spreading all throughout my body. I felt something else though, power. I didn't understand what I was but I had a guess from hearing Oni-chan talk…chakra. It was more than likely chakra; I didn't know how to use it but maybe if I focused hard enough…_

" _Sada, I swear. One more word out of you and-"_

' _Focus, focus, focus.' I gasped when I felt the floor disappear beneath me, I was falling. I felt my body move through something and the next thing I knew, I was staring at the ceiling falling through the air. I shut my eyes tightly, I was going to die when I hit the floor. 'Focus, focus, focus.' I felt my knees bend when my feet hit the floor and I lost my balance, my bottom hitting the floor._

" _Itai." I cried, looking around curiously._

 _I wasn't on the third floor anymore; I was all the way on the first floor. What had happened, how had I…I went through the floor. My eyes widened in surprise, my eyes were burning with tears and my throat had dried up. I coughed, tears slipping down my cheeks._

" _OKA-SAN!" I screamed, crying loudly. "OKA-SAN!" I cried louder, feeling absolutely terrified of what had just happened, I wanted my Oka-san. "OKA…san?" I blinked curiously when I saw the guards surrounding me and cried louder, my lower lip was trembling in fear._

" _What the hell is she?" I blinked, looking up to see my parents and siblings._

" _Oka-san." I whispered, she hid herself behind Otou-san._

" _I don't know Ren…something has to be done with her." Otou-san said, sounding emotionless._

" _Otou-san." I cried, wiping at my face. "Gomenasai Otou-san, I…I'll never do it again. I promise." He gave me a blank stare, saying_

" _Kill her." I screamed, covering my face when one of the guards pulled out a katana._

" _Matte!" I peeked through my fingers, recognizing the voice as Oka-san's and she said "Don't kill her Takao, she's…she's our baby."_

" _Eiko-" he started._

" _Please Takao." she begged, I felt a small smile come to my lips. Oka-san would save me, I just knew she would, she loved me._

" _Very well Eiko." he agreed. "Prison block A, take her." I gasped when an arm went around me and screamed, struggling as hard as I could as I was drug from the room._

" _OKA-SAN, OKA-SAN, OKA-SAN!"_

"She…hates me." I said softly, Konan shook her head sadly.

"No she doesn't Sada-chan, a mother could never hate her child." she told me, she was completely oblivious to my past.

I'd never told her anything so I knew she didn't understand why I'd escaped from my family and village. I knew that as soon as I told her, that she'd more than likely be heartbroken by my words.

"Hai, she does. She…wouldn't save me." I whispered, Konan looked at me confused. "My…Otou-san tried to have me killed because…of what I can do. She wouldn't save me; she was going to let me die…because I'm a freak."

"Sada, that's not true in the least." Konan assured, petting my blue-violet locks. "Your abilities make you special and unique, and no one can ever take that away from you. You are a truly amazing and beautiful girl, full of talent and you have so much to offer to the world. You could never be a freak Sada, never." I felt a small smile come to my lips and leaned into her touch, saying

"Arigato Konan-san." She smiled and I snapped my head to the left, hearing

"Konan-san, I brought Kakuzu-san as you requested." Kisame said, I lowered my eyes nervously when I saw the man's appearance.

The man was wearing an Akatsuki cloak like all the members I'd seen and a mask covering his face, a veil over his hair. He was dark complexioned and had bright jade orbs, the area around his iris was a deep magenta color. I was getting a very cold vibe from him, as though he cared about only one thing in this world, himself and only himself. All in all he was an extremely mysterious character, I didn't know what kind of person would hide their physical appearance from others. I blinked curiously when the man raised his hand to scratch his head, the sleeve of his cloak slipping down his arm. His arm was covered with stitches…what had happened to this man?

"What do you need me for Konan-san?" the man, Kakuzu asked in a deep voice.

"Sada-chan needs her arm fixed, I believe it's broken or fractured." Konan said calmly, it looked as though she'd managed to compose herself. She'd been awfully upset earlier with what I'd told her about my mother and father. Kakuzu nodded and entered the room; I shrunk back into the covers for protection. "Sada-chan, it's alright. Kakuzu won't hurt you dear."

"Ano…Konan-san, since you don't need me anymore-" Kisame started.

"Don't even _think_ about going anywhere." Konan snapped, narrowing her eyes into a glare. "We're speaking to Pein after Sada's arm has been fixed; Itachi will also need to be informed of when I'll be allowing her to train again so stay where you are." Kisame gave a quick nod, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"Hai Konan-san." he grumbled, sounding like a reluctant child. Damn, people here really feared Konan when she was angry; they acted like obedient children when she wasn't her calm and normal self.

"Alright kid, let's see your arm." Kakuzu ordered, I lowered my eyes in embarrassment.

Konan helped me sit up, I felt my body screaming at me because of the movements. I winced in pain as I moved my arm into his hand, yelping softly when he touched it. Konan stroked my hair softly, trying to sooth me while Kakuzu examined my arm. He shook his head to himself, sighing quietly.

"Well?" Konan pressed.

"It's fractured, an easy fix for me." he said, sounding bored. "This'll hurt on your end kid, just don't try pulling your arm away or you might screw up the healing process."

I nodded a little, leaning my head against Konan's shoulder. I watched him make some handsigns, I could see the green chakra form around his hand. He moved his hand to my shoulder, I groaned loudly in pain as I felt the chakra move into my bones. I grinded my teeth slowly as he moved his hand down my arm, I could feel the chakra working on my arm and it was so utterly painful. I bit down on the inside of my jaw, waiting in vain for the torture to be over. I sighed contently when Kakuzu finally removed his hand from my arm, happy that my arm was healed.

"Arigato Kakuzu-san." Konan said, her voice sounded less worried than it originally had been.

"You're welcome." He grunted, not sounding too enthusiastic.

"I'll be back in a minute or so Sada-chan." Konan swore, I nodded a little and laid back against the pillows. "Let's go gentlemen."

I watched as Konan lead both Akatsuki members out of my room, shutting the door behind them. The one thought running through my head was, what would Pein do to Kisame?

* * *

 **Author's Note: And there's Chapter 8. I know it was a while before I updated so I'm sorry for the delay and I hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter :)  
**


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; PEIN'S OFFICE_

"Sada is a complete mess Pein." Konan stated, trying her hardest to sound professional. "She has at least ten injuries, not including the arm Kakuzu-san managed to repair. Kisame-san and Itachi-san have been completely irresponsible about her training."

Pein nodded once to Konan, sighing quietly to himself. Konan was all too caring about this child, it was the mother in her. She had always been caring towards the members, the motherly figure in the organization. Even when they'd been children, Konan was the one to take care of everyone. But this child, she'd changed Konan into more of a mother than she'd ever been. Perhaps it wasn't just the child, perhaps it had been _that_ heart breaking event that had made Konan even more motherly. The Akatsuki leader couldn't put his finger on it, but he also couldn't do anything to hurt Konan. She was the last person in the world he wanted to hurt, he cared more for her well being than his own. He took in a slow breath, saying

"What do you suggest be done about this, Konan?" She blinked at his words, finally saying

"She needs rest, she needs to heal. Her body can't handle anymore training for a while." Pein nodded, silently agreeing with her before saying

"Kakuzu, you'll have more leisure time before your next mission for repairing the child's arm." Kakuzu nodded in thanks, bowing his head slightly. "You are dismissed." Kakuzu nodded again, walking out of the room without a word. Konan glanced at Kisame when the door shut, turning her orange orbs to Pein.

"I would also like to make a request about Sada's training." she said, Pein nodded once.

"Very well."

"I believe it would be best if Kisame did not use his same-haha during her training until she's improved with her taijutsu." she said, Kisame narrowed his beady eyes at the woman.

Just because _she_ was Pein's right hand, didn't mean she could stop him from using his _only_ weapon during the child's training. This was an outrage and he wasn't pleased by this so called 'suggestion' in the slightest.

"Leader-sama, there would be no other way for me to train her. You've already banned the use of ninjutsu and genjutsu during her training, there's no way I can train her without my same-hada." he said, forcing his voice to sound respectful.

"Then you'll just have to figure something out." Konan snapped, Kisame glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What do you expect me to do, let her-"

"I expect you to be professional about her train-"

"Enough!" the Akatsuki leader shouted, slamming his hands on his desk.

Both members sealed their lips at Pein's outburst, the orange haired man groaned quietly and put his hand to his head. This was beginning to frustrate him, this child had better be worth it.

"Pein." Konan said quietly, sounding concerned.

She had hoped this hasn't put him in pain, he had been having severe health problems in the past few weeks because of stress and it tore her up on the inside. The last thing she wanted to do was be one of the causes to his deteriorating health, she wanted to take care of him and make sure he would always be alright, he meant the world to her.

"If you were to stand in during her training, would that suffice Konan?" Pein asked, Konan nodded a little.

"I'd feel much better but I don't think that's enough." Konan admitted, Pein sighed.

"If the child were to have a weapon of her choice, would that put you more at ease during her training Konan?" he inquired, she bit her lowerlip in thought.

That seemed plausible, if Sada had a better weapon than a few kunai and shuriken then she might stand more of a chance during her training, that would keep her from getting as injured. Konan nodded in agreement, saying

"I'll ask her which weapon she would prefer to have when she is properly healed." Pein nodded, saying

"Very well Konan, you're dismissed."

Konan nodded, her eyes thanking her childhood friend as she exited the room. As she walked down the hallway, she couldn't help but smirk to herself. Kisame was _screwed_.

* * *

 _AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SADA'S ROOM_

I blinked curiously, moving my arm in all sorts of directions, trying to find some type of flaw in Kakuzu's medical jutsu. I pursed my lips in concentration, moving my arm in the most complicated pose I could manage. Nothing, I didn't feel any pain what so ever; it seemed as though Kakuzu's medical jutsu was flawless. I wondered if he had any flaws in his jutsu, were all the Akatsuki just as perfect about everything they did? It made me curious as to what types of members the Akatsuki had in their ranks, were they all prodigies just like Itachi?

I sighed softly and laid back on my bed, trying to rest and gather my strength. Konan wouldn't be happy with me if I wasn't taking care of myself and the last thing I wanted was to disappoint or upset her. She had been so kind to me and taken care of me more than my own mother had, I wanted to do everything I could to show her that I appreciated her. That reminded me, I needed to let her know about the painting I'd done for her. I hoped that she would like it, I'd taken so much time and prepared it with the greatest amount of care. I'd wanted it to be perfect for her, I just hoped with all my heart that she would like it.

I blinked curiously when the door opened, smiling a little when I saw Konan enter my room. She shut the door behind her, a tray in one of her hands. I felt my heart swell with joy, my stomach was crying for food, I hadn't had a full meal since before my training had started. She crossed the floor to my side, sitting the tray on the bed next to me, sushi again, thank goodness.

"I figured you were hungry Sada-chan." she said with a smile, I nodded a little.

"Arigato Konan-san." I whispered, my cheeks going warm.

I took the chopsticks she offered me, going about eating my sushi. I ate slowly, not sure if I could manage to finish a small roll. My stomach had significantly shrunk since Konan had been away, I'd been afraid to leave my room to get food during the time she'd been away. The one time I _had_ left my room, let's just say it was unforgettable.

 _I quietly scurried down the hallway, trying to make it to the kitchen without being seen by anyone in this base. I had just finished my first training session with Kisame, Itachi had observed the entire match without a word. My arm was in a small amount of pain from being flung across the room by it but the pain was bearable, the worst part was my swollen jaw and blacked eye, I could barely blink from the soreness. I just wanted to get some food in my system and go to bed, my body was exhausted and I needed sleep, especially since I would be having training again in the morning._

 _I peaked around the corner, making sure the hallway was vacant before making another turn. I was so close to the kitchen, I knew I could make it without coming across any of the members. I let out a sigh of relief when I found the kitchen empty and moved across the floor. I looked through the cabinets, passing up all the snacks and grabbed some of the udon noodles. I went about boiling the noodles, looking around for some type of disposable dish. I didn't like the idea of having to come back in the kitchen until my next meal, just to wash a dish, maybe it would be a good idea to take some small things to go. I grabbed a few pieces of fruit, stowing them away in my pockets and finally had to settle with a glass bowl when I couldn't find anything disposable. I poured my noodles into the bowl, added a few seasonings and sauce and stowed a bottle of water in my free pocket._

 _'I guess I'll just wash the dish when I come back for my next meal.' I grabbed my bowl of noodles, shoved a pair of chopsticks down in them and exited the kitchen. I walked across the floor, and head in the direction of my room. I could almost smile, the udon smelled amazing and I was so hungry, my stomach was grumbling quietly for food. I took a turn down the hallway, stopping in my tracks when I saw a man._

 _It wasn't someone I'd seen before, I shouldn't have been surprised that I ran into someone here but it was all because I'd went down the wrong hallway, I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going. I looked up through my bangs, my red eyes meeting his violet ones. He was tall, he had a good few inches on me in the height department. He had silver colored hair, it was slicked back away from his face. He wasn't wearing a shirt, his pants resembled Itachi and Kisame's, and he had a symbol hanging from his neck. I couldn't tell what it was from this distance but I wasn't going to be curious about it, I didn't want him getting any closer to me._

" _Well well." he mused, taking a step closer. I took a step back nervously, not knowing what to do with myself. "So you're the damn bitch Uchiha brought fuckin back here huh?" I didn't respond, I just needed to figure out a way to get back to my room. "You'd be a nice damn sacrifice for Jashin-sama."_

 _I dropped the bowl in shock, bolting back down the hallway I'd come. A worshiper of the Jashin religion wasn't on my bucket list of friends to make, people of that religion were ruthless and unnecessarily violent. If he got his hands on me, I was sure he would kill me without a second thought._

" _Get back here you bitch!"_

 _I ran down the hallway as fast as I could without chakra, trying my hardest to get back to my room. I gasped when a hand went around my arm, my body was shoved against the wall. I sealed my lips shut, trying to ignore the pain in my back as best I could and stared up at the man wide-eyed. He placed his free hand above my head as he leaned against the wall, leering at me._

" _It's not fuckin polite to walk away from people fuckin talkin to you bitch." he snapped, I flinched a little at the hostility of his voice. He laughed maniacally when he saw how much I was shaking, leaning down closer to me. "You afraid bitch?" I swallowed nervously, trying to force my body to stop trembling but try as I might, it wasn't enough; I was terrified._

" _Hidan."_

 _I looked over when I heard the familiar voice, there stood the Uchiha prodigy. I blinked dumbly when I saw the cool look on Itachi's face, not looking phased in the slightest by what he saw. His Sharingan eyes moved from Hidan, to my small form, his eyes cold as usual._

" _Nani Uchiha?" the man known as Hidan snapped, a scowl on his face._

" _Let the girl go." Itachi ordered, sounding emotionless._

" _Fuck you." he spat. "She fuckin owes me a damn apology."_

" _The child owes you nothing." Itachi said coolly. "Release her."_

" _Or what?" the silver haired man scoffed._

" _Or have you forgotten what leader-sama said." the Sharingan user retorted._

 _Hidan grumbled quietly, not seeming as though he cared but released his hold on my arm nonetheless. I scurried away from him and moved behind the elder Uchiha, seeing him as my only form of protection in this situation. He obviously cared about Pein's orders so he wouldn't let me be harmed, even though I was allowed to be beat to a bloody pulp in training._

" _Do not bother the child again." he said coldly. Hidan huffed angrily and turned in our direction, glaring darkly at Itachi._

" _Fuck you." he swore. He then stormed off in the opposite direction, leaving Itachi and I standing in the hallway. I played with a strand of my blue-violet hair, not sure what to do with myself and flinched when Itachi turned in my direction._

" _What did you do?" he asked, sounding emotionless._

" _Ano..." I mumbled, not sure if I had done anything to provoke Hidan's wrath. "I...gomen."_

 _I blinked dumbly when Itachi placed his hand on my head, feeling confused as to what he was doing. I looked up through my lashes to find his Sharingan eyes staring down at me, not understanding his actions. I didn't expect him to touch me, let alone put his hand on my head, that was something that was completely out of character for him. Was he just trying to gauge my reactions, trying to figure me out, trying to understand me, or was it something else entirely? Something inside himself?_

" _Ano..."_

" _Go back to your room, now." he ordered. I nodded obediently and moved out of his touch, walking down the opposite end of the hallway in the direction of my room._

 _'What just happened?'_

"Dear, you've barely touched your food."

"Ano..." I lowered my eyes, feeling embarrassed that I'd only had four pieces of sushi and I was already full. I knew she was going to figure out I'd barely ate since she'd been gone, she was the most insightful woman I knew.

"Sada-chan." I looked up through my bangs, finding Konan's orange orbs staring into my red ones. "Did you eat while I was gone?" she pressed.

"A little." I whispered, leaning back against the pillows. "I...ano...I was scared to leave my room."

"Did something happen?" she inquired, I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

"Hai." I agreed softly.

I didn't want to go into the details about what had happened, especially since Konan had gotten upset within her first few minutes back when she'd seen the condition I was in. I didn't understand what had happened with Itachi, it was still spinning around in my head even though it'd been days ago, his actions were the complete opposite of what I'd expected from him. Part of me thought I needed to figure this out while the other part told me that I needed to stay out of it, just do what I was told to do and be an obedient prisoner. I supposed I could tell her about what happened with Hidan, not all of it obviously, just seeing him and being afraid to leave my room again after that. I didn't want to worry Konan, she took such good care of me and I didn't want to put another burden on her.

"Talk to me dear." she asked, I played with a strand of my hair.

"Ano...I ran into a man and got scared." I admitted, she looked at me curiously.

"Who Sada-chan?" she inquired, I pressed my index fingers together nervously.

"Hidan." I said softly, her eyes narrowed.

"Did he do anything to you?" she asked, sounding angry; I quickly shook my head.

"No Konan-san, I'm okay." I told her, she sighed quietly.

"Alright dear, you need to get some rest."

I nodded halfheartedly, finally realizing how tired I truly was and laid my head back on the pillows. I smiled a little when Konan placed her hand on my head, softly petting my hair. I was feeling so drowsy but I needed to let her know about the painting I'd made for her, I wanted to know if she liked it.

"Konan-san, I made something for you." I told her, she looked at me curiously. "It's on my easel."

She smiled a little and moved up from the bed, going to my easel. I watched her, feeling extremely nervous about if she would like it or not, I was extremely proud of it and hoped she would see how hard I'd worked on it. I watched as she lifted the painting, staring at it with an expression I couldn't place. Did she not like it? I could always paint something else for her if it wasn't good enough, I just wanted to give her a gift that would show her how much I appreciated her. I blinked dumbly when I saw tears roll down her cheeks, feeling unsure of what to do with myself and lowered my eyes.

"Sada-chan."

I looked up through my bangs, surprised at what I saw, she was smiling. Her orange eyes were focused on my self portrait of her, the tears running down her cheeks, her eyes were sparkling as she stared down at it. Was she crying tears of happiness?

"This is lovely dear." she told me, I felt my heart swell with joy.

"R-really?" I stuttered, she nodded in agreement.

"Of course, I've never received such a wonderful gift."

"You-you like it?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. She shook her head, the smile on her lips widening.

"I love it Sada-chan, it's beautiful."

I felt my cheeks go warm in embarrassment, feeling slightly relieved that she liked it, it was the one that I was most proud of. My other paintings were hanging on the wall, I'd went into an obsession with portraits and had went about painting portraits of those I cared about. The first painting I'd done was of Haku, I missed him with all my heart. It wasn't fair that his life had been stolen so young, he was the first person to see me for who I was and the first man to love me. The second, was of Zabuza. Even though Zabuza had betrayed me and traded me like a piece of property, he'd still raised me from a child. He'd been like a father to me when I'd been with him, taught me everything he knew and had protected me for most of my life, he was the only father I'd ever known. The third person, was Gaara. He'd been the greatest friend to me and had grown so much since we'd met, he'd supported me through one of the hardest part of my life and meant the world to me. The last person I'd painted, was Sasuke. He meant so much to me, he was the only friend I had in Konohagakure and had supported me through so much, I couldn't ask for anyone better.

"You have quite a talent Sada-chan." Konan's voice snapped me back to reality, I felt my cheeks go warm.

"I'm glad you like it." I whispered, my cheeks were burning even hotter at the praise. "I worked really hard on it."

"I can see that dear, I'll make sure to find the perfect spot for it in my room." she swore. I watched as her eyes moved to the other paintings on the wall, her eyes softened as she studied all the faces on my walls. "Are these friends of yours?"

"Hai." I agreed, trying to stay awake. "They're all very special to me."

"Is that...Momochi Zabuza?" she questioned, sounding confused; I nodded in agreement.

"Zabuza-sama was my master." I told her. She moved across the room with her painting, taking a seat next to me on the bed and placed her hand on my head lovingly. "He saved my life and helped me become a shinobi."

"No wonder you're so skilled for your age, training under one of Kirigakure's swordsmen." she commented, I snuggled my head against her head. "Tell me about your time with him."

"I was alone." I started, my voice lowering in volume at the memories. "The boy right there, his name was Haku." Konan looked over her shoulder, finding the picture I was talking about before her orange orbs found my red ones. "Haku-kun was a subordinate of Zabuza-sama before I was, he was the one that found me. I was starving in the streets, freezing to death and they came across me. He convinced Zabuza-sama to take me in."

"So after that, you became his subordinate?" she guessed, I nodded in agreement.

"Hai...there were a few times he wanted to give up on me though." I admitted, my cheeks going hot again in embarrassment. "I wasn't as talented as Haku, he was perfect at everything he did. It was hard for me to keep up to par with everything."

"Obviously you managed though." she guessed, I nodded a little.

"Haku always encouraged me, he was the reason I never gave up." I admitted. "I loved him."

"Your boyfriend?" she asked, I shook my head sadly.

"He died before we could be together." I whispered, playing with a strand of my hair; she petted my head softly.

"Gomenasai Sada-chan." she apologized.

"It's okay." I told her, trying to convince myself of just that. "I know he's in a better place and he loved me, he made sure I knew that."

She didn't say anything for a minute, the silence filled the room. I wondered what she was thinking about as I laid in the bed, she seemed as though she were lost in thought, thinking about what I'd just told her about my past, about my former life. I felt myself relax a little when she moved her hand over the top of my head, smoothing my hair in a motherly way.

"Get some rest dear."

I couldn't even nod in agreement, my eyes felt so heavy and my brain felt groggy. I needed rest, I hadn't had a good sleep since my training started and I needed to focus on healing, my body was still a mess from the prior few days. I shut my eyes when I heard Konan begin to hum softly, feeling like I could manage to finally sleep. She managed to soothe me, like my own mother once had when I was a child, she made me feel at peace. I could hear her humming growing softer, my mind was slipping into unconsciousness, I finally slipped into sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I can't wait to show you all what's in store for Sada and the rest of the Akatsuki. It's going to get intense :)  
**


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE; AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; PEIN'S OFFICE_

"Pein."

Pein blinked curiously when he saw Konan standing in the doorway of his office, a small smile came to his lips at the sight of her. She was dressed for bed in a simple black shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants, her hair hanging free from her usual bun. It was early, barely four o clock, she should've been sleeping for the both of them. The Akatsuki leader barely managed to sleep anymore, he had developed a slight case of insomnia from his daily work and planning. Keeping order in the organization and planning for every scenario was taking a toll on him, mentally and physically but it would all be worth it in the end.

"What are you doing awake Konan?" he asked, his usual cold tone of voice had changed to soft. He would never use his normal cold sounding voice towards her when they were alone together, he could never act heartless towards her, she meant more to him than anything else in the world.

"I couldn't sleep." she admitted, shutting the door behind her. "Things on my mind."

"Would you like to talk about it?" he offered, she nodded a little and moved further into the room. She moved around the desk Pein sat behind and went to the wall, she focused her chakra as she placed her hand against it, the wall shook for a moment before it slowly began sliding open. "Konan-"

"I don't want Pein right now." she interrupted, turning her attention to the wall.

The wall finally locked in place, revealing a hidden door. She took hold of the handle, pushing it down and opened the door. She took a step inside the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and her orange orbs locked on the purple eyes of the Rinnegan user.

"Nagato." she whispered, he smiled a little.

"Konnichiwa Konan."

She moved further into the room, watching Nagato as he sat down in his favorite chair, studying his appearance. She could tell he was growing weaker the longer he used the device, she could see it was beginning to take a toll on him physically. The circles under his eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them, she noted that he had a few bruises on his arms. Thankfully he hadn't lost any muscle mass yet, that was what was worrying her the most about his use of the machine. His eyes were still shining though as he stared at her, his red hair hanging right above his shoulders, he was still handsome as ever to her. He offered his hand to her, she went to him without a second thought and took his hand. She smiled a little as his thumb caressed her hand, giggling like a schoolgirl when he pulled her down into his lap. She leaned against him happily, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

"What do you need to talk about?" Nagato whispered, her fingers moved through his red hair lovingly.

"Sada." she answered, he placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"What about the child?" he questioned, she sighed quietly.

"She informed me of some things a few days ago that I thought you should know about." she said easily, snuggling against his chest.

"Well don't keep me in the dark then." he joked, she gigged softly again.

"She told me about her former master, one of Kisame-san's old allies. Momochi Zabuza." Nagato clicked his tongue quietly, thinking it over.

'No wonder Itachi was impressed by the child's chakra, she could be at the level of a Jounin or Anbu chakra wise. Not to mention her abilities she's told us about, she will come of great use to the organization.'

"Nagato." He quickly snapped out of his thoughts, looking down into Konan's eyes. He could feel his heart swell with joy at the look in her eyes, he could see as clear as day how much she cared about him, how much she loved him. "I don't think we should continue with this." she admitted, Nagato tilted his head to the side slightly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, she played with a strand of his hair in thought.

"She's just a child." she stated, Nagato moved a few strands of hair away from her face.

"Itachi was the same age when he joined Konan." he reminded her, she sighed softly.

"I know that but she's different, her upbringing isn't what any child should have to go through. The child hasn't had a mother in her life for many years or a positive role model for that matter." she said, feeling sympathy towards the young girl.

"I believe she's had it better than what we did." Nagato mused, Konan fully sat up and looked into his eyes.

"Please, let's just let her go. She doesn't need this kind of life." she pleaded, he lowered his eyes from hers.

"You know we can't do that Konan, we can't just let her go." he reminded her.

"Demo Nagato-"

"We can't."

"We've stolen her life!" Konan exclaimed, tears began rolling down her cheeks.

Nagato felt his heart break in two at the sight, he hadn't seen Konan cry since... _that_ horrible event. He pulled her to lean against him and moved his fingers through her hair, trying his best to comfort her. He hated disagreeing with Konan, arguing with her, it made him feel sick to his stomach. He knew that she wanted what was best for the child but it wasn't possible, the organization needed this and it would benefit them greatly to have the girl in their ranks once she had obtained the level of power necessary. Perhaps if he could get Konan to see that it would benefit the child as well, she wouldn't be so upset about it.

"Ko-chan."

Konan looked up when she heard the nickname, finding Nagato's eyes. He smiled sadly and moved his hand to her face, thumbing away her tears. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks when he leaned up closer to her face, gently pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss, a kiss that made her forget all her worries and fears. She could feel herself swooning by the action, it was just like the first time they'd ever kissed, all the love and commitment they had for each other shining through by one action. Nagato had always loved her, from the time they were children until the present, he'd always made sure that she had everything she ever needed. Konan in return, had always made sure to take care of him to the best of her ability and show him through every action she made, that she would stand beside him until the end of time. They were a sappy story to put it simply, childhood best friends falling in love, but they wouldn't have it any other way, all they wanted was each other.

"Naga-kun." she whispered, he smiled and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I want to help the child as well, being here could be the best thing for her." he whispered, she blinked curiously. "The ability she mentioned, the chakra draining one, perhaps we may be able to find a way to suppress it. Help her. That can't happen if she isn't here."

"I suppose you're right." she murmured.

"You've changed so much since she was brought here." he commented, tucking a lock of blue behind her ear.

"How so?" she asked, he chuckled softly.

"How haven't you?" he chortled. "Being all motherly." She felt her cheeks go hot again at the observation and lowered her eyes, grumbling softly under her breath at him.

"She's never truly had one." she grumbled, he chuckled again.

"Ko-chan." She found Nagato's eyes again, her blush going darker when she saw the look in them. "Do you...want to try again?" he asked hesitantly, she smiled softly.

"Do you think now is really the best time?" she questioned, he tightened his arm around her waist in a hug.

"I want to give you everything you want." he told her softly, the smile on her lips widened.

"We'll know when it's meant to be, I'm content just having you." she whispered, stroking his cheek lovingly. He nodded a little and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Until then, let's focus on trying to find a way to help Sada."

"Alright, we'll look over some different methods then." he agreed. Konan cuddled close to Nagato as they quietly discussed different options, hoping that they'd manage to come up with something. "Konan, I love you." She felt her cheeks go warm at the confession, pressing her lips against her husband's.

"I love you more."

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE; AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS, SADA_

I opened my eyes when I heard a light knock on my door, sitting up in the bed. I held the sheets to my chest gingerly, silently praying that it wasn't Itachi or Kisame, I didn't think my body had healed enough for training yet. I watched with wide eyes as the door slowly creaked opened, I was finally able to breathe when I saw Konan peak her head in. I felt a small smile come to my lips at the sight of her, my red eyes met her orange ones, my cheeks went warm in embarrassment.

"Ohayou Sada-chan." she greeted, opening the door further.

"Ohayou." I said softly, rubbing at my eye. She walked further into the room, shutting the door behind her. I was surprised to see her this early, it couldn't have been nine o clock already. I glanced over at the clock to see my assumption was right, it was a little passed seven.

"I hate to disturb you so early dear." she started, taking a seat next to me on the bed.

"Is everything alright Konan-san?" I asked, blinking curiously.

"Of course, no need to worry yourself." she told me, I tilted my head to the side slightly. "I just needed to update you on a few things."

"Like what?"

"Pein and I have been talking about the ability you mentioned, the chakra draining one." she said, I lowered my eyes nervously. "We want to find a way to help you control it."

"I don't know how." I admitted, feeling useless.

I felt my cheeks go warm again when I felt Konan place a hand on my head, her hand running across it soothingly. I looked up into her eyes, orange meeting red again, feeling something I hadn't felt in years. It felt as if, I finally had a mother, for the first real time in my life. I could see it in the way Konan looked at me, she cared for me and my well-being, she cared in the way that a mother cared about their child; did Konan see me as her child?

"Dear, can you just tell me what you know about it?" she asked, I nodded a little.

"It started when I was five, after I activated my kekkei genkai." I started. "I didn't really understand what was happening, I was afraid."

"How did you know you had the ability?" she pressed, I swallowed nervously when the memory came back to me.

 _I blinked curiously when a blanket was shoved through the bars of the cell, crawling closer to it. I grabbed the blanket from the concrete floor, wrapping it tightly around my body. The kimono I was wearing wasn't made for the winter air, how long had I been in this prison? I'd lost track of time, I had no contact with anyone other than the guards and prisoners, I hadn't even seen my family since I'd been put here. I shivered, trying to ignore the cold as best I could and tried to imagine I was somewhere warm._

 _Try as I might, it wasn't possible. Even with the blanket I was still cold, the barred window in my cell was letting some of the snow float in, maybe I could distract myself with that. I scooted across my cell, closer to the window and pressed my index finger against some of the white dusting, drawing in the snow. I drew pictures for a while, starting on animals and finally finishing with some drawings of my family. I was talented for my age when it came to art, I had a knack for it and it was something I thoroughly enjoyed. Maybe if I was good enough and my parents let me out of here, I'd draw them all sorts of pictures to show how sorry I was for what I'd done._

 _I couldn't begin to understand what I'd done wrong though, from talking with some of the other inmates, it sounded as though I'd activated some sort of ability. The ability in turn, had scared them. I'd went through things, my entire body going through solid objects as if they weren't there to begin with. I didn't understand why my family were afraid of it though, my Oni-chan had shinobi abilities so it would only make sense that I would too. Being a shinobi was in my blood, having chakra and other abilities just came along with it._

 _I looked over towards the cell door when I heard some noises, it sounded like someone was yelling. I tilted my head to the side curiously, pressing my back against the wall when I watched a group of guards walk forward, shoving a man against the bars of my cell. I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to see what was about to happen. I'd watched plenty of people die in this place, I didn't want to see another. I covered my ears when I heard the man begin screaming again, yelling all sorts of profanities._

 _'I'm not here, I'm somewhere else. Somewhere quiet, somewhere safe.' I continued to repeat the words to myself, over and over in my head. This would be over soon, I just needed to keep my eyes shut until this was over. After a few minutes, the yelling finally stopped, and I chanced opening my eyes. I pressed my back harder against the wall when I saw the man was in the same cell as me, I felt like I was going to lose it. I swallowed nervously when his eyes fell on me, trying my hardest to hold it together._

" _You're Sada-hime." he spoke, I nodded a little._

" _Hai." I agreed quietly. He hadn't sounding like a mean person when he spoke to me, maybe he was just falsely imprisoned the way that I had been, the reason he could've been yelling was because he was upset about the situation he was in._

" _What are you doing in here Hime-sama?" he asked, I felt my eyes burning with tears._

" _I did something bad." I whispered, my throat felt dry as the tears rolled down my cheeks._

" _I'm so...gomen Hime-sama." he apologized. "My name's Tomi." I blinked curiously as he walked over to me and bent down to sit next to me, holding his blanket out. "Take it, you need to stay warm."_

" _Arigato." I watched as he placed the blanket around me, feeling relieved at the warmth. I felt so much better, I finally had feeling back in my toes._

" _I can try to light a small fire if you'd like Hime-sama." he offered, I shook my head a little._

" _I don't want you to get in trouble." I mumbled._

" _At least use my lap as a pillow, you need to sleep." I nodded halfheartedly, I hadn't slept well in a long while._

 _I laid my head down in his lap, smiling a little when he placed his hand on my head to stroke my hair. All the prisoners were kind to me, I was the youngest person here and they all recognized me as the youngest princess of the royal family. I wiggled around a little, a weird feeling was moving through my body. I couldn't place it but I was feeling so much stronger than earlier, what was going on with me? I laid there for a few more minutes, trying to fall asleep but it seemed impossible with all this extra strength. Maybe Tomi knew what was going on, if he was a shinobi then maybe he knew something._

" _Ooi Tomi-san?"_

 _He didn't respond, I opened my eyes and turned, looking up at him. His eyes were closed, maybe he was sleeping._

 _Little did I know, I'd developed a new ability that had killed him._

"I...I killed someone. I took his chakra and he died." I said quietly, feeling ashamed of what I'd done.

"So you've had to live with this your whole life?" she asked, I shook my head.

"When Zabuza-sama found me and began training me, he helped me set up mental blocks to keep it inactive." I told her, she nodded a little.

"Obviously you've released those then." she gathered.

"I did, I was in a life or death situation." I admitted, playing with my fingers.

"It may be possible for Pein to reset your mental blocks." she told me, I felt a small smile come to my lips.

"You really think so Konan-san?" I pressed, she nodded a little.

"Hai, I do. Pein is quite skilled when it comes to all sorts of techniques, I'm sure setting up mental blocks wouldn't be much of a challenge for him." Konan pondered, I smiled when her hand moved across my head again.

"Arigato Konan-san."

"For what dear?" she pressed, I twiddled my thumbs nervously.

Admitting out loud what I thought of Konan, had me extremely nervous. I could feel my stomach tying itself in knots at the thought of it, I didn't want her to think I was weird for feeling the way I did about her. However, I couldn't help it. Konan had been like a mother to me, through all my time here. Sure it had only been a month or so, but that was nothing compared to how long I'd went through my life without one. Finally having someone to look up to and watch out for my best interests, made me feel so complete. It was as though, she were the missing puzzle piece I'd needed all my life, she showed me so much love. I had felt so empty and torn since Deidara had left me, I felt like nothing could make up for his abandonment. As much as I loved him, he'd hurt me, damaged me even more than I already was. I hadn't thought that could be fixed unless he came back to me, until I met Konan, the mother I'd always wanted but never had.

"Sada-chan." Konan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, I could feel my heart pounding as she looked down into my eyes. "You can tell me anything dear." she swore, I swallowed nervously.

"I just...w-wanted to say..h-how g-grateful I am." I stuttered, she smiled warmly at me. "I just...you've done so much for me Konan-san."

"I enjoy your company Sada-chan." Konan said softly. "You make me feel needed, like I matter."

"You do." I said immediately. "You're wonderful." She smiled again, her eyes sparkled with happiness, it was as though what I'd told her was something she really needed to hear. I'd never seen her so happy in all my time here, maybe this was the perfect moment to tell her how I felt.

"I'm glad you feel that way Sada-chan, you're very special to me." I felt my cheeks heat up at that, feeling slightly over-whelmed with emotion. Perhaps, she _did_ see me as her child. I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly. I heard a soft giggle come from her before her arms moved around me, hugging me the same way.

"You're like the Oka-san I never had." I admitted, I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks again.

"And you're like the child I always wanted." she told me.

I felt happiness overwhelm me at her words, she really _did_ see me as her child, just like I saw her as my mother. Maybe being in this place wasn't as bad as I first thought, I finally had a mother in my life and I wanted to do everything I could to make her proud of me. I finally felt like I could have a purpose in life, Konan was precious to me and I wanted more than anything to stand by her for as long as I could. I felt determination for the first time in a long time, I was determined to make Konan proud of me and work hard to better my skills as a shinobi. If Konan wanted me here, then that's what I would focus on. Even though I didn't have Deidara in my life anymore, I had someone to help me heal from that heartbreak. I knew that Konan cared about me now and I cared about her, I would do anything to make her happy. I smiled a little when she squeezed me and snuggled close to her, smiling when she began petting my hair.

"So, would you like to show me what you can do in training?" she asked, I felt my smile widen.

"Only if I can call you Oka-san." I giggled, I felt her press her lips against the top of my head.

"I'd be honored."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.  
**


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE; AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS, TRAINING ROOM_

I dodged when the blade came at my face, barely managing to avoid the blow. I did a backhand spring, managing to put some distance between myself and the former Kirigakure shinobi. Close range attacks were his specialty, I needed to make it harder for him to attack me. I glanced over at the corner of the room, a small smile came to my lips when I saw Konan standing with Itachi.

Since the incident with my last round of training while she'd been away, Konan had been standing in during my training. She made sure that I wouldn't be horribly injured like I was the last time, it seemed she was always interrupting Kisame when she thought his attacks were too much for me. Kisame in return, was slowly beginning to attest Konan's presence during my training. He didn't like that he couldn't do what he wanted, that's what sort of man he seemed to be to me, he didn't like being told how to do his thing.

Itachi however, hadn't seemed to mind Konan's presence. They spoke very little during my training but when they did, it was very professional. Itachi seemed to respect Konan and never had any type of outburst when she'd stop the match, he merely let her do whatever she wanted. She was Pein's right hand though, disagreeing with her probably wouldn't end well for anyone that did it. I was still curious about Itachi's actions from a couple weeks ago, he hadn't touched me again but I was still curious as to what type of man he was. When I'd first met him, all I'd seen was the coldness inside him but now, I didn't even see that. I wasn't able to read him the way I could everyone else and that made me want to figure him out all the more.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw the same-hada come out of nowhere, dodging the blade's attack. A fist slammed into my jaw, knocking me to the ground. I coughed and spat the blood out of my mouth, hopping back to my feet, I wasn't going down that easily.

"Are you alright Sada-chan?" Konan yelled, I nodded a little.

"Hai...I wasn't focused." I admitted, Kisame groaned softly.

"Damn it." he grumbled. "This isn't a time to be daydreaming."

"Gomen." I murmured, playing with a strand of blue-violet absentmindedly. Konan came to my side instantly, placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her through my bangs, my cheeks went warm when I saw the usual motherly look on her face.

"How about you show us some of your abilities for now, take a break from the taijutsu." she suggested, I nodded a little.

"Hai Oka-san." I whispered, I watched her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

I held out my wrist that held the Akatsuki chakra suppressant bracelet, Konan took it between her fingers. After a moment, the bracelet snapped open, Konan took it from my wrist quickly. She knew I was nervous about my chakra draining ability and she knew that I didn't want to hurt her, she obliged my wishes by trying to keep skin contact to a minimum when I didn't have the bracelet on. I felt my chakra move through my body instantly, feeling stronger than I had in weeks. She hadn't removed my bracelet during my training with Itachi and Kisame, only once before when we'd went to the training room alone, she'd wanted to witness my kekkei genkai for herself. Now though, I needed to be open about all my techniques.

"Alright Sada-chan, let's see what you can do with your chakra." she said, I nodded in agreement. She turned on her heel and went back to stand next to Itachi, I turned my gaze to Kisame, wondering if he was also allowed to use his chakra. "Your blade only Kisame-san."

"Hai Konan-san." he mumbled, sounding reluctant. I moved into a fighting stance, ready to prove that I wasn't the weak kunoichi they thought I was. "Make your move girl." I narrowed my eyes before closing them, doing some handsigns.

 _'Darkness Style: Draining of Light.'_

I opened my eyes to see the light in the room flick off, feeling slightly proud of my accomplishment. I'd never had the chance to try this jutsu so I was extremely pleased that I'd managed it on the first try. Now, I wouldn't have to close my eyes to perform any of my jutsu, I made more handsigns.

 _'Darkness Style: Night Vision.'_

I looked around, I could see just as well as I could in the daylight. Kisame was looking around, waiting for an attack of some sort. I knew he was like my former master, he knew silent killing techniques and how to use his other senses during a battle, it was the way of the swordsmen. However, I also knew these techniques so we were tied in that aspect. Our experience levels during battle, he had the advantage. He had vastly more experience that I had, but he also didn't know anything about my techniques so with that calculated in, we were on even ground; I hoped I'd manage to measure up to that. I took in a quiet breath, mentally preparing myself for a heated battle. Now that I had my chakra, I actually stood a chance but what jutsu should I use? I decided not to ponder over it too much, an idea would come to me but for now, I needed to make the first move.

I phased through the floor, coming up behind him and jumped, managing to kick him in the side of the head. He didn't go flying like I'd hoped, he merely stumbled a bit before the sword was swung in my direction. I let it phase through my body, I didn't feel threatened in the slightest now that I was able to use my kekkei genkai. I made some handsigns, focusing my chakra as I did so.

 _'Darkness Style: Spheres of Darkness.'_

I phased through the floor away from him to the other side of the training room, hiding my chakra as best I could as my spheres spread out across the training room. This was the best distraction I could think of, now I just needed to figure out the best strategy to use against the shark like man. I wanted to defeat him, I highly doubted that I would manage it but I was determined to do my best, especially since Konan was here. I blinked, watching as my spheres hung in the air, waiting for detonation. I made some handsigns when an idea popped in my head, focusing my chakra.

 _'Darkness Style: Black Storm.'_

I focused, forcing the spheres to begin exploding at random as my jutsu took effect, watching as the purple spread across the ceiling. Then, there was lightening. Bolts of black shot down from the ceiling, eruptions of their power destroying the floor of the training room. I blinked dumbly, thinking that it may have not of been the best idea to perform this jutsu inside. The room was shaking, I could feel the vibrations in the ground beneath me as the lightening struck the floor.

I whipped my head around when I heard a yell from Kisame, my eyes widened in terror when I realized the lightening had hit it's mark. I had to stop this now, before it killed him, or worse, caused me to be killed for severely injuring him. I made some handsigns quickly, ending all my active jutsu and bolted across the training room when I saw Kisame collapsed on the ground.

"G-g-gomen." I said quickly, my voice quiet. "I-I-I d-didn't mean to."

A hand was placed on my shoulder, I looked back to see Konan. I swallowed nervously and she snapped the bracelet back around my wrist, a look I couldn't place was in her eyes. Itachi had moved to Kisame's side to inspect his wounds, he was groaning quietly in pain.

"The fuck was that shit?" he grunted.

"Her jutsu." Itachi said simply, looking over Kisame's torn cloak. "It appears as though you have some third degree burns."

"Great." Kisame grumbled, moving to his feet.

"Sada-chan." I moved my eyes to Konan, feeling ashamed of what I'd done. "What level of ninjutsu was that for your people?" she pressed, I pressed my index fingers together nervously.

"Level one." I whispered, glancing up through my bangs. Konan looked to Itachi, he nodded once and moved up from his crouching position.

"Sada-chan, go on back to your room. We need to treat Kisame-san's wounds and then report to Pein." she told me, I nodded hesitantly.

"Ano...I can heal him if you need me too." I whispered, Konan smiled a little.

"That's not necessary Sada-"

"Let her." I blinked curiously at the sound of Itachi's cool voice, moving my eyes in his direction. "I'd like to see her medical jutsu." Konan nodded once and moved her fingers back around the bracelet, the device snapping open. I moved to Kisame's side when Konan removed the bracelet from my wrist and closed my eyes, doing some handsigns.

 _'Darkness Style: Dark Healing.'_

A dark purple light formed around my hand and I placed my hand a few inches above one of Kisame's wounds, focusing my chakra. The inflamed skin slowly sank after a few seconds, the redness slowly disappearing after, and then the burn itself began healing. Thirty seconds into the jutsu, the burn was gone and I moved my hand to one of the others, focusing on healing. A few minutes passed in silence as I healed all of Kisame's injuries cause by my jutsu, Kisame looked over his body, a surprised look in his beady eyes.

"Not a scar." he mumbled, sounding confused. "How?"

"Sada-chan?" Konan questioned, I bit my lower lip nervously.

"My people have a special jutsu to heal darkness style techniques." I replied, rubbing my arm self-consciously. "It's usually just used to heal ourselves since our chakra has darkness embedded in it demo...it can be used to heal darkness style jutsu attacks."

Konan nodded, her orange eyes moving to Itachi. His Sharingan had been active the entire time throughout the training and my healing techniques, I knew the Sharingan was used to copy and read techniques, but I still couldn't manage to place the look in his eyes as he stared at me.

"We'll resume her training tomorrow." he said, sounding monotone. Konan nodded, turning her attention to me. I held my wrist out, knowing what was coming and it snapped back around my wrist.

"Go get some dinner dear, I'll see you in a bit."

I nodded a little and walked across the floor, out the training room. I sighed softly to myself as I walked the halls in the direction of my room, wondering if I'd gotten myself into a bad situation. I could usually read Konan rather well but the look in her eyes I'd seen was something new, was she afraid of my techniques? I shook my head, trying not to worry about that. Konan wasn't afraid of me, she never had been, she must've just been surprised by the power of darkness style. I played with a strand of my hair as I walked in the direction of the kitchen, perhaps I could make dinner for Konan as well as myself, I was sure she'd appreciated it since she was always cooking for me. I pondered over what I could make for dinner as I walked, yakisoba sounded like a good dish to make.

I smiled a little at the thought and entered the kitchen, going through the cupboards for some pans and cutting boards. I went through the fridge, grabbing some vegetables and went about cutting them. After a few minutes of preparing everything, all the food was in the skillet cooking. I usually didn't try to stay in the kitchen for more than ten minutes unless it was the middle of the night but I wanted to do something nice for Konan, maybe one day I wouldn't be so uncomfortable in this place. I would feel more at ease when I had full access to my chakra and be able to defend myself from any threats in this place.

"Hey there bitch." I felt my heart drop and looked away from the stove, my stomach did a flip at the sight of the Jashin worshiper. I swallowed nervously, unsure of what to do with myself. "It's been a fuckin while, huh bitch?" I flinched back when he took a step closer to me, lowering my eyes nervously. "What damn use could you be to us?" I bit down on my lower-lip, I wasn't sure if he wanted a response or if he just enjoyed hearing himself talk.

"Is he bothering you?" a more care-free voice asked, I raised my eyes from the floor.

I held the gasp in my throat, what was this man? Half of his body was black while the other side was white, his entire body looked that way other than the green venus flytrap that was attached to his body. He was extremely tall and had brilliant yellow eyes, no pupils were visible and short cut green hair.

"The hell Zetsu?" Hidan growled, clenching his fists.

"Leader-sama said we're not supposed to bother her." the man known as Zetsu replied, oddly only the white side of his mouth moved.

"Bullshit, we're just fuckin talkin." Hidan spat.

"Doesn't look that way." Zetsu grumbled, this time the black side of his mouth moved. What was going on with this man?

"Just go fuckin eat someone." Hidan raged, I blinked dumbly. What did he mean by _someone_?

"How about you?" the black said suggested, a smirk came to both sides of the face.

"Oh can we, can we?" the white said asked, sounding enthusiastic. I took a step back nervously when Hidan pulled a kunai out of the pocket of his pants, growling quietly.

"Let's go then bitch." he laughed.

"What is going on here?"

I felt a smile come to my lips when Konan stepped into the kitchen, looking around at the scene. I bolted to her side and wrapped my arms around her waist, hiding my face in the material of her cloak. I could finally breathe again now that she was here, she'd keep me safe from all this. I sighed contently when her arms moved around me, holding me close to her.

"What did you do?" she snapped, I moved half my face out of her cloak.

"Ugh why does every fuckin one think I do the damn shit." Hidan groaned.

"Because you do Hidan." Konan stated, I squeezed her tightly.

"We tried to tell him to leave her alone." the white side of Zetsu spoke, sounding chipper.

"Moron." the black side mumbled.

"Oi I didn't do a damn thing!" Hidan raged.

"Don't bother her again." Konan ordered, sounding dangerous.

"Or fuckin what?" Hidan laughed, I bit my lower lip nervously.

"Would you like waking up without a tongue Hidan?" Konan asked.

"Oooo, can we eat that?" the white side of Zetsu asked.

"Shut it you." the black side snapped, sounding annoyed. Hidan grumbled quietly and trudged passed us, looking pissed off. I looked up at Konan apologetically, hating that I couldn't take care of myself in this place.

"Are you alright dear?" she asked, I nodded against her cloak.

"Gomen." I apologized, she moved her hand over my head.

"You have nothing to apologize for." she murmured. "Hidan's a jerk."

"Your food smells done kid." I heard Zetsu say, I gasped and bolted back to the stove.

I moved the skillet off the burner, pouring the food into a couple of bowls, I smiled a little when the blue-haired woman came to stand next to me. I offered a bowl to her, I watched a smile come to her lips as she took it in her hands. She patted my head, I felt my cheeks go warm.

"Arigato for dinner Sada-chan."

"You're welcome Oka-san." I mumbled.

"Oka-san huh?" the black side commented, Konan giggled softly.

"I've pretty much adopted her." Konan explained, patting my head again.

"Congratulations." the white side exclaimed enthusiastically.

"So that means we can never eat her?" the black side guessed, I wiggled behind Konan.

"No Zetsu, you can't eat my new daughter." Konan laughed, as if it were a joke.

"Fine." the black side grumbled.

"Let's go eat dinner Sada-chan." Konan suggested, I nodded a little and grabbed my bowl. We head out of the kitchen and walked down the hallway, going in the direction of Konan's room. I followed behind her silently, hoping I wouldn't run into any more Akatsuki members for a while. "It seems as though you've almost met everyone." Konan commented, I tilted my head to the side curiously.

"Who's left?" I pressed, tugging at her sleeve.

"Zetsu's subordinate, I'm surprised you haven't met him yet. He's quite the ostentatious one." Konan said easily. "Other than that, the team of artists. They've been on a mission though so they won't be back for a few more weeks."

"Artists?" I repeated, a small smile on my lips.

"Hai." she agreed, looking back at me over her shoulder. "The boy that's around your age and the puppeteer of our group, they're the artists around here. Always fighting about it."

"They don't agree on art?" I pressed, she shook her head and opened the door to her room. I followed her inside and took a seat by her many origami flowers, munching on my food.

"No, they never really have." she sighed. "It gets quite annoying after a while."

I didn't say anything else as I ate my food, I was busy thinking about these artists of the group. Maybe they were other people I could get along with, I always enjoyed a good conversation about it and learning people's opinions. Deidara and I had always had amazing talks about art, I missed our talks so much, I hoped that I would see him again one day. Hopefully he could explain why he'd left, from what his former co-worker had said, he'd quit because he had to go home. Maybe something was going on that he had to deal with, maybe he wanted to face his father, maybe he hadn't been afraid of me and my abilities. I'd looked in all the most obvious places, trying to find a note of some sort from him but there'd been nothing, maybe I'd just looked too hard. I sighed quietly, thinking about him always brought my mood down, I missed him with all my heart.

"Are you alright dear?" Konan asked, sounding concerned. I nodded a little, trying to ignore that my eyes were burning with tears. I wiped at my face with my sleeve, attempting to hide the tears from her. "Sada-chan, what is it?" I looked up when she placed her hand on my head, finding her orange eyes.

"I just...I miss my boyfriend." I whispered. I smiled a little when she moved her arms around me, hugging me tightly. Being around Konan helped so much, it felt like everything would be okay when we were together.

"Maybe you'll be able to visit him one day." she said, trying to lift my spirits.

"That'd be nice demo...I don't know where he is." I admitted, sighing softly.

"Like I said before, true love always finds a way." she said kindly, I nodded against her shoulder.

"I know, you're right." I murmured.

"How about we do something to take your mind off it?" she suggested, I looked up at her through my bangs.

"Like what?" I questioned, she smiled a little.

"I'll do some origami and how about you paint my creations?" she offered, I nodded enthusiastically.

"That sounds fun."

"I knew you'd like that idea." she giggled.

For the next couple of hours we sat in Konan's room, making some of the most beautiful art together. We went through making flowers at first then animals, I was thoroughly enjoying our time together. After going through making many different things, I had forgotten all about being upset. I was thankful to have Konan, she really did make everything better.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and sorry for the wait. Let me know what you thought in the comments!**


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; NAGATO'S ROOM_

"Level one? Really?" Nagato pressed, Konan nodded against his shoulder.

"Hai, it was so advanced for level one jutsu. If she hadn't healed him then he would've retained scars from the third degree burns." the blue haired woman explained, Nagato hummed quietly in thought.

"She'd be a powerful member to add to the organization once she's ready." he said after a moment, Konan wrinkled her nose.

"She's improved so much since her training with Itachi began, I'm sure at her current level she could match a few of our members. I can't begin to imagine how powerful her level three jutsu are, she may even be able to stand her ground against our strongest ones." she pondered, Nagato moved his fingers through Konan's hair lovingly.

"What would you say if I told you I thought she was ready now?" he asked, she bit her lip nervously.

"I just don't think she's emotionally stable for that position yet, she's so sweet Naga-kun." she told him, he sighed quietly.

"It's not as if I would keep you from her." he said softly, she leaned her forehead against his.

"I know that." she mumbled. "I just...worry about her."

Nagato tilted his head to the side, studying Konan's eyes. He wasn't surprised to see how much she cared for the girl, that much was obvious. However, this new look in her eyes, it was the look a mother had whenever she was worried about the well-being of their child. Was Konan...?

"Are you pregnant again?" he asked, she giggled softly and shook her head.

"No darling." she murmured, stroking his cheek.

"Then why are your eyes shining like that?" he pressed. He watched as a pink color spread across her cheeks, her eyes shining brightly. She wiggled around in his lap when he poked her side, his arms going around her waist to hold her.

"I just...it's nothing." she mumbled, he eyed her curiously.

"Ko-chan."

"Okay, okay." She sighed, meeting his purple eyes. "I just...she's like a child to _me_ , I care about her." she admitted, her cheeks turning more pink.

"Konan, it's dangerous for you to get too involved with her." he warned, his tone soft.

"She's like _my_ child Nagato." she whispered, he moved his hand to cup her cheek.

"I don't want you to get hurt." he told her, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "If something were to happen to the child-"

"Nothing is going to happen to her, I'll protect her." Konan interrupted. "I'll keep her safe."

"And on missions when you aren't with her?" he pressed, she tightened her lips into a thin line.

"Itachi and Kisame will watch after her." she said with a matter a fact tone.

Nagato sighed softly in defeat, knowing there was nothing he could say to change her mind at this point. She was attached, he should've been able to see it coming, especially after the miscarriage she'd went through a few months back. She'd wanted their child more than anything, the miscarriage had torn her up for weeks. The girl being here, had helped heal her in a way he couldn't. Konan had needed the companionship of a child and now that she had it, she'd made a connection that Nagato knew she wasn't going to let go of. He didn't want it to cloud her judgment but she was looking at the girl as her child now, he wasn't sure what he could do.

"Konan, she's not..." He stopped when he saw the look in her eyes, he wasn't sure if he could finish the sentence, he didn't want to hurt her, that was the last thing in the world he wanted to do.

"She calls me Oka-san now." she told him, he kissed her forehead tenderly. "I love her."

"What do you want me to do then Ko-chan?" he asked after a minute, she blinked curiously.

"I-I don't know." she replied hesitantly. "I don't want her to be pushed into this too soon."

"Then we'll wait." he promised, she pressed her lips against his cheek thankfully. "For now, perhaps we should go ahead and seal away that ability of hers."

"You can do it?" she asked, he chuckled softly.

"I can do anything." he teased, she rolled her eyes playfully.

"Naga-kun, do you think it's possible you may be able to make it to where she could control it?" she inquired, he hummed quietly in thought.

"I believe that could be doable." he finally said. "The ability itself is at maximum capacity, to the point where it's impossible to control. Has she said how she obtained it?"

"She was just born with it, like the ability that allows her to go through solid objects." Konan replied, placing another kiss on his cheek. "She's the only one in her family that has these abilities, which begs the question how she was born with it."

"Perhaps they're abilities that skip generations and she just got lucky." he guessed, she shrugged a little.

"I'm not sure but if you can make it to where she could control it, I'm sure it would prove to be a useful ability to her." she mused.

"Then I suppose that's what we'll do." he agreed. "How about you go ahead and tell her, bring her to Pein so I can help her." She nodded hesitantly, he tilted his head to the side and she moved some hair away from her face. "What's wrong?"

"When are you going to start leading?" she asked, he blinked at the question.

"Konan, you know that's not possible." he reminded her, she sighed softly. "This is the best way to keep me alive."

"This is killing you Nagato, that machine is slowly killing you." she said, trying to contain her tears.

"I'm fine." he assured, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Please stop using it." she pleaded, he shook his head.

"I can't, you know this is the best way." he said softly, she leaned her forehead against his.

"Demo...what if we finally do have a child? I want you around, to help me raise it. I love you Nagato." she whispered, he placed a soft kiss on her nose.

"And I love you, my angel. I'll always be here, I would never die on you." he swore.

She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth and gently pressed her lips to his, feeling overwhelmed with the love she felt for him. She moved her lips against his in a gentle kiss, his fingers moving slowly through her hair. He had always been so gentle with her, so committed to her happiness, that was just two of the many reasons why she loved him. He was everything to her and she would die before allowing anything to happen to him. He broke the kiss and cupped her cheek, staring lovingly into her eyes.

"You should bring her here, I'm sure the child would like to have access to her chakra again." he said, she felt another smile come to her lips.

"You think it's time?" she asked enthusiastically, he nodded in agreement.

"I do."

She smiled widely and nodded, moving up from his lap. She pushed down the brass handle and looked back over her shoulder at her husband, blowing a kiss to him.

"Arigato darling." she said, he smiled at her.

"You're welcome my love."

She opened the door and exited the room, shutting the door behind her. She moved her hand to the wall and focused her chakra, the wall unlocked and began sliding back into place, hiding the door from view. Konan moved across the office to the door, exiting and heading down the hallway in the direction of Sada's room. She smiled to herself as she walked the halls, happy that things were finally going to work out for the young girl she so deeply cared for. She stopped infront of her door, taking in a slow breath. This was the start of a new beginning for Sada and Konan was so happy to be a part of that. She knocked.

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SADA'S ROOM_

I looked away from my easel, my eyes falling on the door to my room. The only person that ever knocked when coming to my room was Konan. I felt a smile come to my lips and the door opened, Konan was standing in the doorway. I felt my smile widen at the sight of the blue-haired woman, turning my back to the painting.

"Ohayou Oka-san." I greeted, she giggled quietly.

"Ohayou dear." she said sweetly. "What are you painting?"

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and beckoned her closer, turning back to my painting. I was embarrassed to say the least but I'd been dreaming of Haku lately, I wanted to have something to remind me of our time together. Having his crystal around my neck put me at ease most of the time but I liked the idea of seeing us together, so I'd started painting a scene from a dream I'd had. The background of the painting was snow, falling from the sky. The main focus of the painting, was of Haku and I. We were standing together in the snow, facing each other. His arms were wrapped around my waist and my hands were placed on his shoulders, my head was tilted up to look at him and his was tilted down to stare into my eyes. I had a small smile on my lips, a hint of pink tainting my cheeks while he was smiling down at me lovingly. I'd worked extremely hard on this painting, I'd wanted it to capture that scene of my dream perfectly and it seemed that I had.

"Awe, this is beautiful Sada-chan." she cooed, I felt my cheeks go hotter.

"Arigato." I whispered. "I've been dreaming about him a lot lately."

"I can see why, he's quite handsome." she teased, I lowered my eyes embarrassed.

"He preferred being called beautiful, he was girly that way." I admitted, she giggled softly.

"Well he is, you both look so happy together." she said, placing her hand on my head.

"I'm sure we would've been, I loved him more than anything." I said softly, she soothed my hair lovingly.

"I can see that dear." she told me. "I wanted to tell you that Pein wishes to see you."

"Did I do something wrong Oka-san?" I asked, she shook her head.

"No Sada-chan, it merely has to do with your abilities." she explained, I blinked curiously.

"My abilities?" I repeated, she nodded in agreement.

"Pein believes he can make it to where you can control your chakra draining ability." she informed me, I felt my heart swell with joy.

"Really?" I pressed. She nodded, a smile on her face.

"Would you like to go now?"

I nodded, feeling optimistic for the first time in a while and placed my paintbrush on my easel. I followed her out of my room and grabbed a handful of her cloak when we made it out into the hallway, staying close to Konan as we walked to Pein's office; I didn't want a repeat of the last couple of times I'd run into members. We walked in silence for a few minutes, Konan moved her arm around my shoulders to comfort me, she knew I was nervous about seeing Pein again, I hadn't since the first day I'd been here. I felt my body shaking when she opened the door, the powerful chakra washing over me, almost crushing me.

She guided me into the room, I felt my lungs crushing under the pressure of the chakra, Konan didn't even seemed phased by it as she shut the door behind us. I swallowed nervously as I stared at Pein behind the desk, his purple eyes locking with my red ones.

"Konnichiwa little one." he greeted, I swallowed.

"Pein, your chakra." Konan reminded him. I felt the heavy chakra lift away from me, I could finally breathe again. I bowed, trying to show respect to Pein, he chuckled softly.

"There's no need for that little one." he said, his cold voice filling the room. I moved out of my bow, feeling slightly confused. "Now then, let's focus our attention on this chakra draining ability of yours." I nodded a little, looking back at Konan when she patted my shoulder.

"Go on over to Pein dear." she urged. I followed her instruction, walking over to Pein's desk.

"Take a seat." he instructed, I tilted my head to the side curiously.

'Why do I need to sit down?'

"This jutsu, will put some strain on your mind." he said coldly. I nodded and Konan sat a chair behind me, I sat down infront of the desk as instructed. "Konan has suggested an option, I will let you decide which you'd prefer. We can either completely lock off the ability or make it to where you can control it. Which will it be?"

I bit down on my lower-lip, thinking about the options I had. If I completely locked away my ability, I'd never have the option of using it again. It had saved my life in my battle against Orochimaru but then again, I'd killed a few people with it that didn't deserve to die. If I did keep my ability, I'd be able to use it however I needed and I wouldn't be able to kill anyone accidentally. The ability could also come in handy if I ever needed it, I'd be able to replenish my chakra with one touch.

"I'd like to keep it if that's possible." I said, Pein nodded.

"Very well, let's begin." he said.

I stared at him as he made some handsigns, they were too fast for my eyes to follow and looked up into his eyes. I blinked curiously, feeling fascinated by what I saw. The ripple like designs in his eyes were moving, going in circles, what type of jutsu was this? I was beginning to feel weird as well, my body felt heavy as if weights were tied to my limbs and my brain felt woozy, I felt like I was slightly lightheaded. I felt a pair of hands placed on my shoulders, steadying me as I stared into Pein's eyes. What was happening to me?

"Just relax Sada-chan." I heard Konan say, I barely managed to nod my head in acknowledgment to what she'd said.

I felt like my mind wasn't just my own anymore, as though someone were walking through it. As weird as that sounds, that's what it felt like. I felt like I wasn't alone in my own head, as if someone was in there with me, knowing everything I was thinking and had access to all my knowledge. It felt like my brain was floating around inside my skull. My eyes felt so heavy, I wanted to close them.

"Keep your eyes open dear." Konan instructed. "Focus on Pein." How could I focus on anything right now, I felt so tired and drained, I needed to rest.

 _'Focus Sada, we're almost there.'_ a voice said, I blinked dumbly. What was that? It had sounded like Pein but the voice was coming from inside my head, how was that possible?

 _'This is how I set up communication between myself and all the members, we're connected now.'_

I took a slow breath, my chest feeling heavy. So that's how Pein set up the telepathic connection, he had to be connected to everyone's minds and the only way to do that was to be inside them at some point to set up the connection. Was this also how he was going to fix my chakra draining ability?

 _'You catch on quickly, little one.'_

I sat in the chair, my eyes still connected with Pein's. It was so weird to be having a conversation with him through my mind, I hoped I would be able to get used to it. After another few long minutes of the uncomfortable feeling in my brain and body, Pein finally closed his eyes and I felt completely normal again. I was exhausted, mentally and physically but I didn't feel like anyone was walking around in my head anymore. I watched as Pein bowed his head and put his face in his hand, rubbing his temples.

"Pein." Konan said, sounding concerned.

"I'm alright Konan." he responded, raising his head. "Now then, let's see if that did it."

Konan moved around infront of me, taking my hand in hers. I swallowed nervously as she took hold of the bracelet and focused her chakra, the bracelet snapping open seconds later. I felt my chakra restored when she moved it from around my wrist, my eyes widening when I realized that I wasn't taking her chakra. It wasn't flowing from the skin contact we were making, Pein had done it, he'd made it to where I could control my ability.

"Well Sada-chan?" Konan asked, I looked up and met her eyes.

"It worked, I'm not stealing your chakra." I told her, a small smile on my face.

"Focus on trying to take a little." she suggested, I nodded. I focused on trying to take the smallest amount of chakra I could, the smile on my face widening when it worked. I focused on stopping, it worked. I looked up into Konan's eyes, smiling brightly.

"I can do it." I whispered, she patted my head affectionately.

"Good job dear." I held my wrist out for the bracelet to be put back on, she sidestepped to stand next to the chair I was in and pointed in Pein's direction. I turned to face him, surprised when she handed the bracelet across the desk to him.

"Konan has told me how well you've been doing during your training." Pein said, examining the bracelet. "She believes you will be loyal to the organization and has asked that the bracelet be permanently removed." I felt another smile come to my lips, they trusted me. "If you try to escape or cease to follow orders, it will be re-attached, do you understand?"

"Hai leader-sama." I said, bouncing up from my seat. I moved into a respectful bow and looked up at him through my bangs, happy that I'd moved up from prisoner status. He chuckled softly and leaned his cheek against his hand, his elbow resting on the desk.

"You are dismissed." he said, sounding emotionless. I moved out of my bow and turned to Konan, she smiled and patted my head.

"Go on back to your room, finish that painting of yours. I'll join you for lunch in a little while." she told me, I smiled a little and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Arigato Oka-san." I said quietly. She moved her arms around me and hugged me tightly, resting her cheek against my head.

"You're welcome dear." she whispered, I nuzzled my head against her cheek. "Get going."

I nodded a little and moved out of the hug, going to the door. I pressed down the handle and exited the room, shutting the door behind me when I'd made it into the hallway. I couldn't begin to express how happy I was, I could've skipped down the hallway but I wouldn't. It would've been weird to run into one of the members that way. I walked slowly in the direction of my bedroom, rubbing my arm nervously as I walked. It was great being able to feel my chakra again, perhaps I could get away with playing a game.

I felt a smile come to my lips at the thought and ran down the hallway, phasing through the wall. I looked around at the room I was in, it was someone's bedroom. I cringed a little and ran across the room, phasing through the wall, I didn't want to invade anyone's privacy. I came out the wall, looking around the hallway, I needed to take another turn to go in the right direction. I took the turn and ran down the hallway, phasing through another wall. I continued running, phasing through walls as I went, this was so fun.

I giggled to myself when I came out another wall, I'd missed my kekkei genkai more than I realized. I looked up from the floor, freezing in place when I saw Itachi staring at me. I swallowed nervously and lowered my eyes back to the floor, feeling embarrassed. I hadn't expected to get caught playing around, this sure was awkward.

"What are you doing?" the elder Uchiha asked, sounding emotionless. I twiddled my fingers nervously, looking up at him through my bangs.

"Ano...I-I-I was j-j-just t-t-t-trying to ano...figure out th-the b-base by phasing." I stuttered, my cheeks were heating up. He blinked, a cool expression on his face as he looked me over.

"Why is the device not on your wrist?" he pressed, sounding cold.

"Ano...leader-sama took it off." I whispered, playing with a strand of my hair. I bit down on my lower-lip nervously when he took a few steps closer to me, his onyx eyes staring down into my red ones. I blinked curiously when he took the strand of hair from my fingers, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Leader-sama must believe you won't betray the organization." he said coolly, I nodded a little.

"I won't." I whispered. "I like it here."

Something flashed in his eyes, something I'd never seen before in him. It looked like, no, was I seeing something other than a negative emotion in him? Whatever it was, I still couldn't place it. It was as though he was able to hide his emotions easily, like he was wearing some type of mask, was he pretending to be something he wasn't? I stared up into his eyes, my heart pounding in my chest at the intensity of his gaze, what was he thinking about?

"You're first training session with me will start tomorrow." he said coolly, still staring down into my eyes.

"Okay." I said softly.

He ran his fingers down the strand of my hair he was holding, releasing his hold on it and moved around me, walking down the hallway. I felt my cheeks go warm and walked down the opposite end of the hallway, heading to my room.

'No more games for a while.'

* * *

 **Author's Note: Ooooo, things are getting intense for Sada! She has full control of a power now and training with Itachi is about to start! So much suspense! Let me know what you thought in the reviews!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; TRAINING ROOM_

I stood across the training room, trying to focus on watching Itachi's body. Looking into his eyes wouldn't have been a smart thing for me to do since he had that special Sharingan and I definitely didn't want to revisit that illusionary world of his any time soon, this would be the best way to fight him. Trying to predict his movements would be difficult, especially since I didn't know what style of fighter he was but I would just have to roll with it. I was nervous about this battle, especially since Konan wasn't here.

Pein had sent Konan on a mission this morning, it wasn't as long as the one she'd been sent on before but it still made me nervous not having her here. She'd said goodbye to me before she'd left, bringing me breakfast and giving me a big hug, I missed her though. It was so weird not having her around but I would just have to make due, she'd be back by dinner time so I only had to spend a few hours without her. Training would be a good distraction, I would admit I was a little excited to show off some of my darkness style techniques, I wondered what Itachi would think of them since it would be his first time fighting against them for himself.

Itachi was by far, the most interesting person I'd met, he was so different than everyone else in this place. He fascinated me to put it simply, I thought he was simple when I'd first met him but I was wrong, utterly and completely wrong. He seemed to be a cold and callused individual, I wouldn't have expected anything else from him, he acted so emotionless and monotone all the time. Recently though, his actions had surprised me. The time that he'd saved me from Hidan, he'd put his hand on my head. Yesterday, he'd touched my hair and then told me I'd be starting training with him. I didn't understand why he was acting the way he was but I was determined to find out, my curious personality would one day get me into some serious trouble but for now, it was just harmless.

Another odd thing I should add, for the first time since my training started, Kisame wasn't here with us. I hadn't expected it at all. Itachi had come this morning to collect me for training, I wasn't surprised that Kisame wasn't with him, he usually waited for us in the training room since I'd gotten into the groove of training five days out of the week. When we'd made it to the training room though, Kisame hadn't been there. I'd asked Itachi about it and he merely said that during his training, Kisame wouldn't be joining us. I found that both odd and fascinating, I wondered why Itachi had decided that but I didn't question it, he was in charge of my training for a reason.

I took in a slow breath and tried to focus, I needed to be prepared for anything he'd throw at me. I jumped backwards when I saw fireballs come my way, I hadn't even see him make any handsigns. I did some back-handsprings, trying to put some distance between myself and the fire. I closed my eyes, making some handsigns.

 _'Darkness Style: Draining of Light.'_

I opened my eyes, dodging the kunai that was launched at my face, the lights in the room flicking off. I felt a stinging sensation in my cheek, not surprised when I felt the liquid run down it.

'His precision is perfect.'

I made more handsigns.

 _'Darkness Style: Night Vision.'_

I opened my eyes, keeping them focused on watching the elder Uchiha's body. Even though he couldn't see in the dark, didn't mean that he couldn't activate that special Sharingan of his and I would be _screwed_ if he did. He hadn't moved from the spot he was standing in, was it because he didn't know where I was or because he didn't feel threatened? I tried not to think of it and made some handsigns, deciding against the use of genjutsu, he was an expert in it so I wasn't even going to _try_ to be on his level.

 _'Darkness Style: Dark Portals.'_

I watched quietly as the black spots appearing in the air, stretching themselves in size. There were about sixteen in total, all of them spread out in different locations across the training room. I'd developed this technique to use during the Chunin Exams, depending on who would be my opponent after Dosu and it was quite the well developed technique. These portals were sort of a wormhole in a way, each one connected to another portal and all I had to do was go through one and bam, I was in another spot. I'd mainly developed it because I was scared of what the Konoha shinobi would do when they discovered my kekkei genkai, it was just another way to allow me to move from location to location without it. I didn't really need to use it but I wanted Itachi to have an idea of what sorts of techniques I had.

I pulled a kunai out of my newly acquired weapons pouch (thanks to Konan) and hurled myself through the closest portal, traveling through the blackness at lightening speed and popping out at the one behind Itachi. I swiped at the back of his head with the kunai, not feeling surprised when he ducked, avoiding the blade. I gasped softly when his fist came out of nowhere, ramming into my stomach, shoving my body through another portal. I landed face first on the training room floor a few feet away from him, groaning quietly at the feeling in my stomach. I managed to push myself to my feet, not intending on giving up so easily.

'How did he manage to see me in the dark like that.'

I didn't think too much on it and made some handsigns, trying to use the portals to my advantage.

 _'Darkness Style: Dark Wolves.'_

I went through another portal when more fire came at me, coming out another on the other side of the training room. I swung my head in the direction of my jutsu, watching as the purple mist twisted and turned, forming into five vicious and large black wolves. I followed the wolves with my eyes as they all bound through separate portals, going for Itachi. Now that I had them as a distraction, I could focus on gaining the upper hand. I felt my eyes widen when one of the wolves tackled Itachi, he poofed away when he hit the ground.

'Shadow clone, kuso.'

I turned, groaning when a knee was rammed into my stomach. I coughed, almost puking up my breakfast. I gasped when he took hold of my hair, shutting my eyes when he pulled my head back.

'Don't look, keep them shut.'

I needed to get him to let go of me so I could get some distance, I didn't have any other options or the match would be over. He'd barely moved and he was _still_ beating me. I made some handsigns as quickly as I could, focusing my chakra.

 _'Darkness Style: Black Slash.'_

I swung my hand at where I thought his face would be, the darkness surrounding my hand in a blade like shape. He released his hold on my hair and I jumped back, opening my eyes.

'It worked.'

He'd backed up, he didn't have a scratch on him but two of my wolves had come out of portals, trying to defend me from him. I launched myself through one of the portals and swung at him again with my technique, hitting my mark. I could've groaned when I heard the pop, another shadow clone. When was he making handsigns, I'd barely seen him use his hands at all. A hand made contact with my face and I tumbled across the floor of the training room, landing face-first. I groaned softly at the pain in my cheek, blood was oozing out from my cracked lip, the metallic taste of blood on my tongue.

I looked up through my disheveled hair when I heard my wolves growling, three of them were standing infront of me, ready to attack if Itachi got any closer to me. I moved my hair out of my face and chanced looking in Itachi's eyes, he had his normal Sharingan activated, did he not feel threatened enough to use the other one? I pushed myself to my feet, I wasn't going to give up. If he wanted to win this fight then he was going to have to knock me unconscious, my former master hadn't raised a quitter and I sure as hell wasn't starting now. I spat the blood out of my mouth and wiped at my lip, I was ready to show him what I was made of.

 _'Darkness Style: Spike Projection.'_

I watched as the room came to life, black spikes shooting out of the walls at the elder Uchiha. I watched in amazement as he dodged the attacks, astounded at his ability. I wasn't going to let it be that easy, I was going to at least hit him. I focused my chakra into the floor, my wolves letting out low growls. More spikes erupted from the walls at him before they shot out through the floor, I could've cheered when I saw one of them swipe across his leg, I'd finally got him. I made more handsigns, trying to improve my chances.

 _'Darkness Style: Dark Wave Blast.'_

A wave of darkness shot across the room at Itachi, I wasn't surprised that he didn't go anywhere, he'd focused chakra into his feet to keep him from going flying across the room into one of my spikes. I focused more of my chakra, more spikes began shooting out from the walls and floor. He managed to avoid all of them but could he avoid them and something else coming at him? I made more handsigns.

 _'Darkness Style: Dark Hail.'_

Shards of darkness began raining down from the ceiling, I focused my chakra and they multiplied, shooting down towards Itachi at lightening speed. I focused on my spike projection, he couldn't dodge both...I hoped. I knew I wasn't going to win this battle but I wouldn't stop trying, I wanted to show how strong I could be.

I gasped in surprise when a hand went around my throat, I was slammed against a wall. I coughed at the hand pushing against my wind pipe, I had to make Itachi back off. I went to make some handsigns, Itachi's free hand wrapped around my wrist, slamming my arm above my head. Darkness was brimming at the corner of my eyes, my airflow was seriously cut off, I couldn't breathe. My jutsu was fading fast, the lights in the training room flicked back on.

'No.'

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Itachi's, his Sharingan eyes locked with my red ones. I felt my eyes widen when his normal Sharingan started shifting, what was happening? Then, he said

"Mangekyou..."

'No, not this again.'

"Sharingan."

I managed to shut my eyes and forced myself to phase out of Itachi's grip, stumbling away from him. I was afraid to open my eyes, I didn't know where he could be in this room but I wasn't going to let myself get caught in his illusions. I didn't know what I could do, my darkness couldn't stop his kekkei genkai and my genjutsu wasn't powerful enough. I cried out in pain when I felt Itachi grab a handful of my hair, a hand was placed on my shoulder, holding me in place.

"Look at me." I felt my body shaking at the sound of Itachi's cold voice, keeping my eyes sealed shut. "Open your eyes." he ordered.

"Ano...demo..." I whispered.

"You'll have to be able to withstand the worst of genjutsu." he said coolly, I swallowed nervously.

"H-how?" I stuttered.

"With enough exposure, you'll begin to build a tolerance to it." he explained, sounding monotone.

'If I can withstand his jutsu, then maybe I'll become immune to genjutsu. His is the most powerful type in the world.'

I took in a slow breath and opened my eyes, meeting Itachi's Sharingan. I stared up into his eyes, not fearing what was coming. My former master hadn't raised a coward, I was going to face this head on with courage and bravery. I blinked curiously when Itachi released his hold on my hair, moving his hand to my shoulder. He held my shoulders tightly with both hands, this was it. And then, the world went cold.

I looked around the black abyss, not feeling threatened, this was Tsukiyomi. The darkness was my home, this didn't scare me, but that red moon hanging in the sky definitely made me nervous. I turned my head in every direction, trying to find Itachi, where was he in here? I gasped when the ground disappeared beneath my feet, I was falling through the air. I focused on trying to slow down my heart rate as I fell through the air, I finally landed in a heap on the ground.

"Itai." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head.

I looked up through my disheveled hair, I could've screamed at the sight...I was home. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pushed myself up, looking around the dank prison. How did Itachi know to bring me here, did he have some type of access to my thoughts and memories? I wrapped one of my hands around the bars on the door, looking down the hallway, everything was the same as I remembered.

'Not again.'

I forced myself to phase through the barred door, crawling across the floor down the hallway. It wasn't safe for me to be in this illusion, what if I saw... _them_? I moved to my feet and ran as fast as my legs could carry me down the hallway, I couldn't get out of this place fast enough. I almost smiled when I saw the exit, bolting across the floor, I was almost there. The door swung open, the gust of wind knocking me to the floor. I groaned softly at the pain in my back and sat up, immediately scooting backwards when I saw _them_.

"Freak!"

"Monster!"

"Demon!"

"Abomination!"

'Don't freak out, it's just genjutsu.'

As much as I repeated the thought to myself, I could feel my soul being crushed as they continued calling me cruel names. I felt tears slip down my cheeks, crawling away from them, I couldn't stand hearing all this again. It was like I was reliving my childhood, the hatred and shunning of my family. No matter how far I went though, they followed, continuing with their taunts. I crawled into a corner and covered my ears, shutting my eyes, I could feel my body shaking.

"Stop!" I screamed.

The floor began shaking, I opened my eyes to see it all was crumbling to dust, the walls were collapsing. It felt like an earthquake or something else just as destructive, I guessed that meant that another illusion was coming. The floor disappeared beneath me again and I was falling through the air again, anything was better than being around my family though. I could feel myself beginning to calm down, this all was different than the first genjutsu I'd experienced from him. Perhaps he thought that the physical torture genjutsu wasn't what I needed to build up a tolerance to, he was right if that's what he was thinking. I wasn't afraid of pain, that didn't bother me, I was afraid of my psychological scars.

It took me a minute to realize I was in another illusion, I was just staring up at a ceiling. Sure it was all black and red weird dark stuff, but somehow, this seemed familiar to me. Like deja vu, where was I this time? I made to sit up, panic consuming me when I realized I was cuffed down. I turned my head, my heart sped up when I realized it was an operating table.

"No!" I screamed, trying to kick my feet.

I was completely tied down, cuffed by my wrists and ankles, please don't tell me that this was...My thoughts immediately stopped when I saw the man hovering over me, a large grin on his lips; Orochimaru's former lead on experiments. I felt my eyes widen when I saw the syringe in his hand, crying out when it was stabbed into my forearm. Not this again, not this...

"No!" I yelled.

I cried out again when I felt another syringe jammed into my leg, trying to kick my legs. I had to get out of here, I had to get free. I shut my eyes when I felt something sticky press against my upper chest a few times in different spots, then I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through my body. I groaned softly, forcing my eyes open, my body...it felt so weak and heavy. Then, another needle was jammed into my other arm, a tube of some sort connected to it. I watched tiredly as my blood moved through the tube, dripping out into a flask. The pain, it was overwhelming me.

I didn't think I could keep fighting this, I was going to die here in this wretched place. I couldn't move, I couldn't get out, there was no escaping this, this was it. Orochimaru was either going to find out how my kekkei genkai worked or he'd kill me trying to. I whimpered when I felt the scalpel run across the skin of my stomach, leaning my head back on the table, I was done for. I blinked when I heard the scalpel ring out, it sounded as though it'd hit the floor. I looked around dazed, everything was dissolving into darkness, did this mean I was dying? I closed my eyes, maybe I just needed to give in to death.

'Wait...Konan needs me.'

I forced my eyes open at that thought...Itachi? I blinked curiously as I stared up into Itachi's onyx eyes, wondering what had happened.

'Wait...his genjutsu.'

I felt my legs give way underneath me and collapsed on the ground, staring up at Itachi through my hair with a dazed look. My body felt so weird, my limbs felt so heavy and didn't want to work right, I didn't think I could move. I blinked, trying to clear my blurring vision and Itachi crouched down next to me.

"Well done, you did better than I expected." he said, sounding emotionless. I opened my mouth, trying to get the words out but I didn't manage, even my vocal chords didn't want to work right. All I managed to get out was a quiet moan of pain, Itachi tilted his head to the side as he looked at me. "We're done for today."

I managed to nod once, trying my hardest to get my limbs to do what I wanted, I needed to lay down in my bed for a little bit. I blinked curiously when Itachi reached his hand down towards my face, pushing my hair off to the side. Onyx met red in the most intense gaze, I wasn't sure what he was thinking about. It was odd that he kept touching me though, that wasn't something I'd ever expected him to do unless we were battling but he'd already done it a few times now. What was going on with him?

"Can you move?" he asked in a monotone voice, I couldn't even shake my head.

I blinked curiously when I felt his arm move under my head, his other arm moving under my knees. He lifted me up into his arms, holding my body close to his chest. He walked across the training room to the exit slowly, not seeming like he was in any hurry. I felt my arm swaying as he walked, I managed to turn my face into his cloak, the soft material caressing my face. I heard the sound of a door opening, Itachi stopped in his tracks.

"Oooo what happened to her Itachi-san?" a carefree voice asked, it didn't sound familiar.

"Shut up." a different dark voice snapped.

"But what _did_ happen?" a different curious voice asked.

"Tsukiyomi." Itachi said simply.

"Heh, Konan-san won't be happy." the serious voice said gruffly.

"The child has to be trained to fight against genjutsu." Itachi said, sounding emotionless.

"Doesn't look like she did very well." the curious voice commented.

Itachi didn't say anything else and began walking again, I closed my eyes tiredly as I leaned against him. I just needed to sleep for a while, my body was exhausted and I didn't think my brain would let me stay awake too much longer. I hoped we'd be back to my room soon.

"Don't let Zetsu's words discourage you." I opened my eyes at the sound of Itachi's voice, managing to tilt my head to look up at him. "You are the first to survive Tsukiyomi without going unconscious."

I blinked curiously, how could that be? I tried to ponder over what Itachi had said but my brain was too tired, I couldn't process anything the way I usually could, I needed to rest and just think about all this later. I moved my face back into Itachi's cloak as he continued walking, shutting my eyes. After a few minutes, Itachi stopped walking and I heard another door open before he continued walking again. I felt my body placed on something soft and opened my eyes, staring up into his onyx ones.

"Sleep." he ordered.

I managed to nod and shut my eyes tiredly, feeling surprised when what felt like a blanket was placed over my body. Why was Itachi acting this way towards me? He was being so out of character. I felt my body relax when I felt his hand placed on my head, smoothing my hair. I felt so content, it was a different kind of content than when I was with Konan though. It felt like, the relaxed feeling I'd had when I was with Deidara or Haku. I was surprised that I was feeling that way towards Itachi, was it just because he was my sensei in a way? I managed to open my eyes, surprised to see Itachi sitting in a chair next to my bed, his hand still smoothing my hair. His eyes found mine instantly in the dark room, I blinked curiously.

"Nani?" he asked, sounding monotone. I swallowed the lump in my throat and opened my mouth, managing to get my vocal chords to work.

"Arigato." I whispered. He didn't respond, just continued staring at me.

"Sleep." he repeated.

I shut my eyes on command, relaxing against the soft bed, I felt like I could finally sleep, especially since Itachi was still smoothing my hair, that was the most comforting thing in the world to me. Haku had always done that when we were children, he'd hold me and stroke my hair until I managed to fall asleep. In a way, it felt like Haku was still with me, perhaps he was watching over me right now. I felt my stomach drop when Itachi's hand moved from my head, opening my eyes.

"Itachi-sama." His eyes found mine again, his eyes boring into me. "Please, don't stop." He blinked before moving his hand back to my head, going back to smoothing my hair. I shut my eyes again without being told to, I could feel sleep creeping up on me. I felt a small smile come to my lips before I finally passed out.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hoped that this chapter was pretty good, I did my best to keep Itachi in character with his fighting style. I figured him moving so little would be a good thing since it emphasizes how much difference he and Sada have when it comes to strength and such. Please review and give me some feedback on everything. I love knowing if I can improve some way.**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

* * *

 _KUSAGAKURE; SASORI AND DEIDARA_

Deidara looked over in Sasori's direction, sneering when he caught sight of Hiruko. In his opinion, it was a hideous puppet, hunchbacked and slow. Couldn't Sasori travel in a puppet that could move a little faster than that piece of junk, it was definitely the reason their traveling was slower than usual. If they had went ahead with his suggestion of flying, they could've been back at the headquarters by now. Sasori must've felt his eyes on him because he turned Hiruko's head in his direction, grunting softly.

"Nani Deidara?" the low voice of Hiruko growled, Deidara humphed quietly.

"It's been forever. How many more do we have left hm?" he asked, slowly growing bored with their mission.

Hiruko grunted again, Deidara rolled his eye towards the sky. They'd been away much longer than Sasori had intentionally calculated, it'd probably been close to two months at this point, Deidara was growing frustrated with how long their mission was lasting. It was just a couple dozen assassinations, it shouldn't have been taking this long.

"Well." Sasori started, Deidara turned his head in the direction of the puppet master. "Losing this many assets is a significant loss to the organization, we've had to replace said losses with more sleeper agents. That could account for our prolonged time."

Deidara narrowed his eye at Sasori's condescending tone of voice, he hated when Sasori talked to him like he was so much more superior than the bomber. Just because Sasori was over twice his age, didn't mean that he was the more talented shinobi. True he had more experience and knowledge, but that didn't mean that he was better, especially when it came to art.

"I'm not a moron Sasori no danna." Deidara snapped, Sasori chuckled quietly.

"It would account for the reason you call those explosive figurines of yours art." Sasori teased, Deidara huffed angrily.

"They are the true form of art." Deidara started, slowly losing his cool. "Your little puppet show is the more inferior of the two hm."

"What did you say?" Sasori growled, narrowing his eyes into a glare.

"You heard me hm." the former Iwa shinobi snarled. He dodged when Hiruko's scorpion tail swung at his face, pushing his bangs out of his eye.

"Don't discuss things you don't understand Deidara."

Deidara humphed again, making a point to ignore the puppet master as they walked. As much as he enjoyed being out of the Akatsuki base, it still gave him too much free time to think about everything that had happened months before. At the beginning of their mission, Deidara had sent birds weekly to Konohagakure, trying to get back in contact with Sada. After hearing no reply from the fourth one, he'd sent another bird to investigate. He was growing all the more worried about her, not understanding why she wasn't replying to him.

He understood that he'd hurt her feelings by leaving without a goodbye, a letter couldn't compensate for a face to face farewell. He'd explained everything he could in all his letters, he couldn't tell her about the Akatsuki so he had lied about his reasons for leaving. Other than that small lie, he'd told her how much she meant to him and how much he cared for her. He'd begged her to reply with each letter, even if it meant her telling him to leave her alone, but nothing had ever come. That's when he'd sent a bird to investigate.

Said bird, had returned with all the letters he'd wrote her, the envelopes unopened. That's when he knew the truth, she hated him. She hadn't even bothered to read a single letter he'd wrote her, he hated himself for what he'd done. He'd destroyed the one good thing in his life and nothing he did would manage to repair it. He shouldn't have returned to the Akatsuki, he should've swept her off her feet and ran away with her, hid in some remote area where the Akatsuki never ventured to. He hadn't thought this would ever happen, that he'd find true love and then it would be destroyed by his own doing.

He bowed his head at the thought, trying to block it out as best he could. That girl, wasn't just any girl. She was special, more special than any one person he'd ever met in his entire life. Everything about her, amazed and entranced him. She was so much more than just beautiful, she was so much more than just a strong shinobi, she was...the love of his life. Her art, her smiles, her talent, her personality, the way she saw and looked at the world around her, _she_ was a work of art. He wished more than anything, that he could have a chance to make things right with her.

He blinked curiously when Sasori stopped in his tracks, copying his actions. He focused, trying to sense if there was any chakra in the surrounding area. Nothing, why had Sasori stopped so suddenly then? He turned his attention to the puppet, his eyes were closed, it must've been a message from Pein then. He watched in silence for a few moments, Hiruko's eyes finally popped open. Deidara raised an eyebrow, Sasori scoffed quietly.

"Leader-sama wanted a status report on our mission." he said gruffly. Deidara nodded once, following behind the puppet as it began moving again.

"Anything else hm?" he asked, Sasori grunted in agreement.

"He also updated me on the girl." he said, Deidara's visible eye sparked with interest.

"What about her?" he pressed, Sasori sighed softly.

"Apparently the child has advanced quite the considerable amount during her training with Itachi." he stated, Deidara clicked his tongue in thought. "According to leader-sama, she can stand on par with Kisame now if he only uses tai-jutsu against her."

"Really hm?" Deidara inquired, feeling surprised; Sasori nodded.

"It seems that she's also had the chakra suppressant device removed from her wrist permanently." he commented.

"That was quick." Deidara stated, Sasori nodded in agreement.

"She's quite attached to Konan-san, leader-sama believes that she won't attempt to escape." he explained, Deidara tilted his head to the side curiously.

"How old's this kid hm?" he pried, the puppet master shrugged.

"I haven't the slightest idea." he responded easily. "Apparently young enough to cling to the person that's been kindest to her, she doesn't leave Konan-san's side when they're together. Leader-sama believes that she can condition the girl to be loyal to the organization."

Deidara didn't say anything in response, thinking over everything that Sasori had said. He supposed that when they returned, he would try to befriend the child. It wasn't easy being in the organization, surrounded by older shinobi and not having anyone close to the same age to talk with. It was lonely, he had experienced it for the two years he'd been a member of the Akatsuki and he didn't wish that loneliness on anyone, especially a young person. Having Konan as a friend would be good for the girl, especially since it would mean her having another female to talk to. Having someone close to the same age made all the difference though.

"Only two left and then we can head back to Amegakure." Sasori said, snapping the blonde back to reality. Deidara looked ahead towards the village, using his scope to focus in on the targets. He felt a grin come to his lips, he really needed this distraction.

"Let's get started then, Sasori no danna."

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SADA'S ROOM_

I tilted my head to the side, staring down my painting. I just needed to figure out which color to use to fill in the eyes and I would be finished, but which color would be the best choice for this painting? I tilted my head to the side, looking at the painting from a different angle. Maybe I should use the red or would the onyx color be better? I stared over the expression for a few minutes, deciding that I should use the onyx color. I smiled to myself and dipped my brush in the paint, going about filling in the eyes. After a few minutes, I stepped back from my easel, examining my work.

It'd been a few months now, probably almost three, that I'd been part of the Akatsuki organization. Time seemed to fly by now, between training and spending time with Konan, I had everything I needed. I would have never thought that I'd be able to stand my ground against a S-Ranked Criminal but I could now, when it was just taijutsu I mean. When I trained with Kisame, I managed to be on par with him, that was only when he was using taijutsu techniques though. I was sure that when he was permitted to use his ninjutsu style attacks, it would be a little harder on me but I would stay committed to my training.

Three days out of the week, I trained with Itachi. The main focus of most of my training with him was genjutsu, meaning I was trapped in Tsukiyomi every single training session. When we trained together, we would usually spend the first three fourths of the time doing taijutsu and ninjutsu techniques, the last ten minutes of training were genjutsu. I was beginning to build a tolerance to it, just like Itachi said I would. Now, I wasn't as exhausted after the illusionary world and I was able to move with no difficulty. I was slightly surprised at how well I was doing but I gave most of the credit to Itachi for being an amazing sensei.

He was well rounded in every subject, informed in every manner of fighting styles and focused all his free time on training me. He was committed to teaching me everything he knew and I in turn, was determined to learn and master everything he taught me. We were beginning to focus on other style of jutsu, he was interested to see if I could combine my darkness with other's, which was the case. It seemed the darkness embedded in my chakra, helped make other jutsu more powerful. I was trying my hardest to become stronger, I wanted to be a valuable asset to the organization, this was my home now.

Moving away from the training aspect of my new found life, Konan and I spent most of our free time together. She no longer stood in on my training, I missed her presence but she had begun to realize that the duo had learned their lesson on beating me to a bloody pulp. She was the only member of Akatsuki I spent any time with other than Itachi and Kisame, I always enjoyed spending time with her. We would make art together some days, talk about things, and she always gave me the most amazing advice on how to move on from feeling hurt. I was beginning to feel as though I would be able to heal from my heartbreak, that I would finally be able to move on from Deidara. It was different with Haku, he had died and I knew I would never be able to let go of him. Deidara though, the hurt he had put me through, it wasn't worth holding onto something like that. As much as I loved him, the pain wasn't worth it. I wished it were as easy to let go as it sounded but it wasn't, I was struggling with it but every day was a little easier now.

I looked over the painting I'd done, nodding to myself at my work, it was perfect. I hated admitting this to myself but it was better than admitting it out loud, I had actually grown quite fond of Itachi. I supposed I had a little bit of an obsession with him, everything about him fascinated me. I'd probably painted at least half a dozen paintings of him in the past few days, I even _enjoyed_ spending time with him. I was starting to figure him out a little more day by day, and he didn't seem to be the cold individual everyone thought him to be. He wasn't the most talkative person but he also wasn't as emotionless as he seemed, there was something hidden in him, something behind his eyes.

I felt my cheeks go hot at the thought and moved across my room to the other paintings I'd done of him, looking for the two I needed. I'd done two identical paintings the other day, they were both of Itachi and Kisame. They were standing back to back, Kisame had his same-hada drawn while Itachi's Sharingan eyes were active. I had wanted to do something to thank them for their commitment of training me, I didn't think I would've gotten this far on my own, so I'd painted a couple of portraits for them. I hoped they would like them, I got along better with Itachi than Kisame so I hoped that the shark-like shinobi would accept my token of appreciation. I grabbed the paintings from the floor and went to my door, exiting my room.

I shut the door behind me as I walked, going in the direction of the dining room. It was around the time that they usually ate dinner so I hoped that's where I'd find them. I walked the halls slowly, holding the paintings to my chest, I prayed I wouldn't run into the Jashin worshiper. After a few long minutes, I'd finally made it to the dining room door. I pushed the handle down and peaked my head in, my cheeks heat up when I caught sight of Itachi. He was sitting at the table, his face in his hands, was he in pain?

I'd learned from Kisame that Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan took quite the toll on him the more often he used it, it was causing him to have severe migraine headaches and to go blind. For some reason, the thought of that upset me, I didn't want Itachi bound to that fate. As much as the darkness was _my_ home, it wasn't made for everyone, perhaps my healing jutsu could help him. I swallowed nervously when I saw Kisame walk in through the kitchen, a large tray in his hands.

"How're your eyes?" he asked, Itachi made a humph noise but didn't raise his head.

"Fine." he said coldly, Kisame eyed him suspiciously.

"Doesn't look that way." he grunted, setting the tray on the table. "You need to take better care of yourself."

"I'm fine, Kisame." Itachi said, sounding monotone. He raised his head from his hands, Kisame moved some of the bowls off the tray and placed them infront of the elder Uchiha.

"I made some dango for you, I know how much you enjoy it." he said, his tone not as harsh as normal.

"Arigato." I swallowed the lump out of my throat and took a step into the dining room, walking across the floor slowly. Kisame raised his head from the tray, his beady eyes meeting my red ones.

"Konban wa little one." he greeted, Itachi's head moved in my direction. I felt my cheeks go warm and nodded at Kisame's greeted, approaching the table slowly.

"Konban wa." I replied, tucking a lock of blue-violet behind my ear. "Ano...gomen for disturbing your dinner...I just..." I stopped, not knowing how to say it and inched closer to the table. I felt my cheeks going hotter and took one of the paintings in my free hand, holding it out to Kisame. "I...made these...for you both."

Kisame eyed me curiously before taking the outstretched painting, looking it over. I turned my attention to Itachi, his onyx eyes met mine and handed him the other one. I chewed on my lower lip as they looked over the paintings I'd made for them both, playing with my fingers as I waited.

"This is quite good." Kisame commented, I felt a small smile come to my lips at his words. "Arigato little one." I nodded to Kisame and glanced at Itachi, he had his normal emotionless expression on his face as he stared at it.

"It's...not much...demo I wanted to thank you both for everything you've taught me." I said softly, I felt my cheeks go warm when Itachi placed his hand on my arm.

"Arigato." he said, sounding monotone.

"You're welcome Itachi-sama."

"Sit, eat." he ordered, I nodded hesitantly and took the seat next to him. I'd never eaten dinner with them before, the only person I normally ate with was Konan, this was strange to put it simply. "Kisame, get a helping for her."

"Hai Itachi-san."

Kisame moved across the floor, heading through the door that led to the kitchen. I moved my eyes to Itachi, I could sense something off with him, his eyes must've really been giving him trouble. Maybe I could help him, I wasn't sure if my darkness style healing could do anything but there was nothing wrong with trying. I twiddled my fingers and looked up through my bangs, onyx meeting red.

"Ano...are you alright Itachi-sama?" I asked quietly, he blinked. "I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop...demo, are your eyes okay?" He didn't say anything for a moment, his eyes deeply studying me.

"Manekyou Sharingan effects my vision the more often I use it." he said, I nodded understanding.

"Ano...would you like me to try to heal you?" I asked hesitantly, he leaned his cheek against his hand.

"You may try." he agreed, sounding emotionless.

I nodded and moved up from my seat, going to his side. I bent down on one knee, kneeling infront of him and he turned his chair to face me. I swallowed nervously and quickly made some handsigns before taking both his hands in my own, my cheeks going hot at the contact with him. I could feel my heart beating in my chest, the rhythm going haywire at his touch.

"Close your eyes and lean your forehead against mine." I instructed.

He nodded once, his eyes slipped shut. He leaned down closer to me, I felt my cheeks go warmer but ignored it as best I could, our forehead's touching. I took in a slow breath and shut my eyes, focusing my chakra. I could feel the darkness in his eyes, the pain it was causing him, the pressure in his head. I focused, I could feel that the blindness was starting to take affect in his eyes, he'd already lost his peripheral vision. I took a slow breath, focusing my chakra on pulling the darkness from his eyes. I could feel it moving, twisting around in his eyes, it wasn't wanting to budge but I wasn't going to give up.

'Come on, move.'

I focused harder, I could feel the darkness in my chakra trying to reach out to the darkness in his eyes, I wasn't close enough to him. I leaned closer to him, I could feel my nose bump his, the darkness was so close. I could almost grab it from his eyes, my darkness was reaching out to his but I still needed to be closer. I felt my cheeks heat up but ignored the thought as best I could, l reminded myself that this was in the best interest of Itachi. I leaned my face closer to his, I felt my heart skip in my chest when my lips brushed against his.

'There.'

The darkness inside my chakra latched onto the darkness in his eyes, I could feel it ripping from him. I didn't know if it was painful to Itachi but I couldn't stop now, I had to see this through to the end. The darkness in his eyes was trying to hold on but mine was stronger in the end, it fully ripped from his eyes, I felt it merge with my own darkness. I opened my eyes, meeting Itachi's, I felt my breath catch in my throat when he fully pressed his lips against mine.

My eyes slipped shut and I timidly moved my lips against his in a gentle kiss, I could feel my heart swelling with joy inside me, was it possible that I was falling in love with him? I felt his hand gently squeeze mine as he continued moving his lips against mine, slipping one of his hands from my grip and placing it behind my head, his fingers running through my hair. I hadn't felt this in a long time, this feeling of being whole and complete, was it possible that Haku had _actually_ sent Itachi to me instead of Deidara? It felt as though, there was fire dancing around in my stomach and fireworks going off in my head, I felt so lightheaded and woozy, as if I were drunk from his kisses.

I almost pouted when he pulled out of the kiss, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. I opened my eyes, my cheeks going warm when I saw he was staring at me. I was surprised to see the soft look in his eyes, it was so different than his normal distant looking gaze, his eyes actually looked _warm_. I blinked curiously when he cupped my cheek, leaning into his touch without a second thought.

"Arigato." I looked up through my lashes at him, his voice was so soft sounding, so beautiful.

"Itachi-sama...I-"

"Alright kid, here we go." I looked up when I heard Kisame's voice, he eyed the pair of us curiously. "Did I miss somethin?" he asked, I watched the warmness in Itachi's eyes disappear instantly.

"It appears her jutsu is more powerful than we thought." Itachi said, sounding emotionless. "She healed my eyes." He moved out of my touch, turning his chair back to face the table. I moved to my feet quickly and plopped back down in the seat next to him, blushing darkly.

"How?" Kisame asked, sounding shocked.

"I'm not sure." Itachi admitted, shrugging his shoulders. I looked up through my bangs to see Kisame's beady eyes locked on me, I took a pair of chopsticks in my hand.

"My darkness overpowered the darkness in his eyes." I explained quietly, poking at the food Kisame had sat infront of me. "I absorbed it in a way."

"And he won't lose his sight now?" Kisame pressed, I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm not sure, the blindness may start up again if he uses the Mangekyou Sharingan too much. If that's the case, I can heal him again." I said softly, Kisame grunted quietly.

"Looks like it's a good thing havin ya around kid." he said gruffly, I decided to take that as a compliment.

We ate in silence, I would admit it was a little awkward, especially since Itachi had kissed me like that. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to think after that had happened, was I supposed to talk to him about it, was I supposed to keep my mouth shut about it, did he like me, did he just want to kiss me because he could, did he care about me? I wasn't sure what to think or do, I guessed if it happened again then maybe he did care about me. And that look in his eyes, the warmth that I'd never seen before, it was so different than what I was used to seeing in his eyes. I liked it though, it seemed as if that was the real part of him.

I smiled a little to myself at the thought, maybe I should tell Konan about the kiss, maybe she could shed some light on what had happened, she was the most intelligent woman I knew after all. I finished off the rest of my food quickly and stood up from my seat, bowing my head slightly.

"Arigato...for dinner." I said quietly.

"Sure thing kid." Kisame mumbled.

I turned on my heel and head across the floor of the dining room, making my exit through the door. I walked the halls of the headquarters silently, trying not to draw attention to myself, I hoped that Konan would be able to explain what was going on because I didn't have the slightest clue. Itachi could be the most confusing character, he was sometimes so hard to read. I played with my fingers as I walked, stopping in my tracks when I felt a hand placed on my shoulder. I swallowed nervously and slowly turned around, I could breathe again when I saw it was Itachi. I moved my fingers to a strand of my hair, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Hai Itachi-sama?" I asked softly, I felt my heart speed up when he cupped my cheek.

"I'd like to know more about your past." he said, I blinked dumbly when I realized how soft his tone was.

"O-of course." I stuttered, he fingertips brushed down my cheek.

"Tomorrow morning?" I felt my stomach do a flip, he was _asking_ me what time I preferred.

"Ano...is nine alright?" I asked timidly, he nodded once.

"Hai." he agreed. I could see his eyes sparkling with the warmth, his tone of voice was so much softer than normal, it was as if he were a completely different person. "Sada." I looked up at him through my bangs, his fingers moved through my hair, he'd never said my name before. "Arigato, for healing me." he whispered, I nodded a little.

"O-o-of course Itachi-sama."

I blinked dumbly when he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine once before going around me, heading down the hallway. I looked at him over my shoulder, playing with the strand of my hair and smiled a little when I saw the painting in his hand. I head down the hallway towards my room, smiling as I walked.

'I think we're falling in love.'

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry about the update taking so long but I hope it was worth the wait. We got a little insight about how Deidara feels and things are heating up between Sada and Itachi. What are your thoughts on what's going to happen when Deidara gets back? Review and let me know!  
**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; NAGATO'S ROOM_

Konan giggled quietly when Nagato placed a kiss on her cheek, caressing his cheek lovingly. He smiled softly at her, moving his fingers through her beautiful blue hair. Oh how she wished every day could be this way, she would love to just sit in his lap all day and cuddle close to him, never having to leave his side. It seemed as though they never got enough time together lately, she enjoyed spending time with Sada but she missed her husband. She wished there were a way all three of them could spend time together as a family, maybe one day that could happen. She blinked when she heard a knock come from the door of Pein's office, looking at Nagato.

"Go." he urged.

She nodded quickly and got to her feet, scurrying across the floor and out the door of his bedroom. She shut the door and placed her hand on the wall, focusing her chakra, the wall slowly began moving back into place. She walked across the office and took her place beside Pein's desk, taking in a slow breath when she heard the wall lock back into place, hiding the door from view.

"Enter." Pein's cold voice instructed.

The door of the office opened slowly, Sasori walked in closely followed by Deidara, the blonde shut the door behind him. They walked further into the room together, both members bowing in respect to Pein. Konan smiled a little, glad that they both had made it home safely.

"Welcome back, Sasori, Deidara." Pein said coldly, both Akatsuki members moved out of the bow.

"Arigato leader-sama." the red head spoke, looking into Pein's eyes.

"Status report." Pein ordered, Deidara crossed his arms over his chest.

"All agents have been dealt with." Sasori reported, moving a hand through his red hair. "I have replaced half of them with new sleeper agents so it wouldn't be as significant of a loss to the organization."

"Well done." Pein congratulated, his tone of voice emotionless. "And do we have to worry about being exposed?"

"Not at this time leader-sama, the agent you were concerned about did not make it to Konohagakure." Sasori said easily, a small smirk on his lips.

"Good, report to the meeting room. There is much that needs to be discussed." Pein instructed. Sasori and Deidara sank into low bows again before exiting the office, Konan turned her head in Pein's direction.

"A meeting?" she questioned, Pein nodded.

"All the members need to be updated on the child's progress." he explained, she nodded a little. "Would you like to bring her to the meeting Konan?"

"No, that's quite alright." Konan replied. "I don't think she's ready yet, I'm sure she will be by the next one."

"You're sure Konan?" he pressed, she nodded again.

"Hai, she's already met most of the members on accident. I think she still needs a little more time to get used to the idea on being part of the organization's plans." Konan admitted, Pein nodded.

"If that's what you think is best Konan." he said, she smiled a little.

"Arigato. I need to take her some breakfast before the meeting, I'll be there shortly." she said.

"Very well."

She smiled sweetly before crossing the room, exiting the office. She walked down the hallway a little faster than normal, heading in the direction of the kitchen. As she walked, she heard Pein's voice in her head.

" _Everyone is to report to the meeting room in the next fifteen minutes."_

She sighed softly and entered the kitchen, getting out some pans and ingredients. She went about making dorayaki, trying to hurry as much as she could. She didn't want the meeting to be delayed until she could arrive but she also didn't want Sada to go without a good breakfast, she knew the child was often nervous about leaving her room. She smiled to herself as she finished up the food, putting it on a plate and grabbed a bottle of orange juice, heading out of the kitchen. She walked the halls in the direction of Sada's room, knocking on the door when she made it.

The door slowly opened, Sada peaked her head out, her eyes widening in happiness at the sight of the blue-haired woman. Konan smiled a little at the sight of the child, giggling to herself when she saw the pink streak across her cheeks. She was the sweetest girl and so kind, she was thankful that she had Sada around to keep her company. She wasn't so sure she would enjoy the headquarters as much if she didn't have Sada around.

"Ohayou Oka-san." she whispered, Konan giggled again.

"Ohayou Sada-chan." she said sweetly. "I brought you some breakfast."

"Arigato." she said softly, taking the plate and juice.

"I wish I could stay dear demo, we have a meeting." Konan explained, feeling bad when she saw Sada's smile drop off her face.

"Oh...it's okay Oka-san." she replied, Konan patted her head lovingly.

"How about I come back later and we do something together?" she suggested, the smile came back to Sada's face instantly and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay Oka-san." she agreed. "I have to talk to Itachi-sama first though."

"Alright dear, I'll see you later on then."

Sada nodded again, snuggling her head against Konan's hand. Konan smiled and patted her head again before heading down the hallway towards the meeting room. She hated that she had hurt Sada's feelings by not being able to stay but she hoped she could make it up to her, perhaps she could suggest to Pein taking Sada out to the village for a few hours. It would be good for her to get out in the sunshine for a little bit, see the outside world, she'd been stuck inside the headquarters for three months after-all. Konan entered the meeting room, all eyes moving to her.

"Ohayou everyone." she greeted in a friendly voice, walking across the room to her chair. She took her seat and turned her attention to Pein, folding her hands in her lap.

"Today, I would like Itachi to update us on the child's training." Pein said, all eyes turned in Itachi's direction.

"In the past three months, the child has improved dramatically." Itachi started, his voice monotone. "The past few weeks I have been exposing her to Tsukiyomi, which she has begun to grow a tolerance to, she's beginning to be able to fight against the genjutsu, developing an immunity to it."

"How the fuck is that-" Kakuzu slapped a hand over Hidan's mouth, stopping his words.

"The girl can match Kisame in taijutsu combat now, even with him using the same-hada." Itachi continued.

"How fascinating." Sasori murmured, moving a hand through his hair.

"The power of her jutsu is quite extraordinary, there's nothing like it in the world." the elder Uchiha said coldly.

"Her level one jutsu matches any normal shinobi's level two." Kisame grunted, Konan nodded in agreement.

"She has also had the chakra suppressant removed from her wrist permanently." she added, Deidara blinked curiously.

"The girl also possesses a special ability that allows her to steal chakra from another, leader-sama has made it to where she can now control it." Itachi commented.

"The ability itself was quite unstable at the beginning." Pein explained, all eyes moved to him. "She had no control over it, anyone she touched would be killed by this ability."

"Humph." Kakuzu grunted. "No wonder Orochimaru wants this kid."

"He will not have her." Pein stated. "She is loyal to Konan, she will not leave."

"She is." Konan said, smiling a little at the thought of Sada's commitment to her. "The poor child has never had a positive role model."

"You have such a sweet disposition Konan-san." the white side of Zetsu teased, Konan giggled softly.

"Does this mean we _still_ can't eat her?" the black side asked, Konan shook her head.

"You're not eating my child." she said playfully, heads turned to look at Konan curiously. "Oh, whoops. Well, I've sort of adopted her as my own."

"Konan has done what is necessary to earn the child's trust." Pein said, all eyes moved back to him. "Earning her trust means we have her loyalty. In a week's time, you will all gather in the training room to experience the child's jutsu with your own eyes. Itachi, make sure she is prepared."

"Hai, leader-sama." Itachi agreed.

"Dismissed."

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; ITACHI'S ROOM_

I swallowed nervously as I stood outside Itachi's room, playing with a strand of my hair. I didn't think I would ever be in this situation, I had never thought I would see a different side of Itachi but I had. I had seen the _real_ side of him, the side that he hid from everyone, including his own partner but why didn't he feel the need to hide from _me_? I chewed on my lower lip in thought, there was only one thing that came to mind, he cared for me in a way he didn't care about anyone else. It was naive to think that he was falling in love with me but I truly believed that he was, just as I was falling in love with him.

I raised my hand to the door, knocking softly. I played with my hair in silence, I was waiting a measly ten seconds before the door opened. I felt my cheeks heat up at the sight of Itachi, I'd never seen him without the Akatsuki cloak. He was wearing a navy colored shirt, fishnets around the top of the shirt and a pair of black pants, a white belt around his waist. His hair was let down from his usual ponytail, his black hair hanging down around his shoulders. I blinked curiously when I saw the necklace, it had three silver rings with red gems inside them, I'd never seen that before.

"Konnichiwa." he greeted, I felt my cheeks burning.

"Konnichiwa Itachi-sama." I said softly, he motioned with his hand for me to come inside.

I walked inside the room, looking around curiously as Itachi shut the door. His room looked similar to mine, the walls and floors were exactly the same. He had some black furniture in his room, including a black leather couch, the room itself was rather dark compared to my own but it comforted me since I was from Kuraigakure. I smiled a little when I saw the painting I'd done for him was hanging on his wall, I was pleased that he liked it enough to display it. I turned to face him when he placed his hand on my shoulder, my heart stopping in my chest when I saw he had a small smile on his lips.

'His smile is...so beautiful.'

"I apologize for the time changing so suddenly." he said, I blinked dumbly; he was _apologizing_ to me? "A few of our members got back from a mission today and leader-sama called a meeting."

I nodded a little, Konan had told me that this morning. I could feel my heart pounding against my ribcage at how kind his voice sounded. So many things I'd never expected were happening all at once, he was smiling and his voice was so kind and he'd apologized to me; this was...indescribable. I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling nervous about this new side of Itachi, was he showing it to me because he trusted me or because he _cared_ about me?

"Y-you're so d-different." I stuttered, I felt my heart skip when he smiled again.

"I can't act like that around you anymore." he explained, I continued playing with my hair.

"Nande?" I whispered, I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks when he touched my cheek.

"You're special." he replied, I tilted my head to the side curiously.

"Special?" I repeated, he nodded. "Itachi-sama I-"

"Please, just Itachi when it's us." he interrupted, my jaw almost dropped. He was a _completely_ different person, this cold attitude he had was just an act, he wasn't evil at all. Did that mean, he hadn't even _wanted_ to be in the Akatsuki? "Sada." I snapped out of my thoughts, his thumb was caressing my cheek. "Please keep this knowledge to yourself for me." I nodded agreeing, I wouldn't tell a soul, I didn't think I could even tell Konan about this.

"Why are you here?" I asked, he smiled sadly.

"A mission." So it _was_ true, he didn't want to be here or do the things he had to do, he was doing this all because it was his mission. The question was, who had assigned this mission to him? "That's all I can say about it, please don't ask anything else."

I nodded in agreement, I would keep his secret safe with my life, I would never sell him out. He motioned to the couch, I nodded a little and we walked over to it, taking a seat next to each other. I felt my cheeks going warm again when he took my hand in his, his thumb moving back and forth over my skin. I looked up at him through my lashes, wondering what he wanted to know about me and my past.

"What would you like to know?" I asked curiously, I felt my heart leap when he smiled again.

"Everything." he said simply, I nodded a little.

"The most important thing you should probably know is about Kuraigakure." I started, moving my legs onto the couch and folding them under me. "I was born into the royal family, Hime Nori Tsukiyo Sada of Kuraigakure, the youngest heir to the throne." He nodded a little, not seeming phased in the slightest that I was princess. "When I activated my kekkei genkai, my family grew terrified of me and sentenced me to death. I managed to escape the prison and get into the outside world, I barely managed to survive." I admitted, he squeezed my hand gently.

"What happened next?" he asked, I smiled a little.

"Momochi Zabuza found me and took my under his wing, he taught me how to become a shinobi and control my kekkei genkai. He was my first sensei, he taught me in the way of the swordsmen and I struggled at first, but I eventually managed to excel in everything he taught me." I explained. "I trained under Zabuza-sama for four years of my life until he betrayed me, he sold me to Orochimaru."

"That's why my sources informed me that Orochimaru was interested in you then, he had you as a prisoner." he said, his tone still soft. I was surprised he'd known about me before coming across me in Konoha but I didn't say anything about it, I needed to tell him everything else.

"Hai." I agreed, my voice lowering in volume. "Orochimaru was interested in my kekkei genkai, as well as my darkness style jutsu. My people don't leave the village, it was banned after I escaped when I was a child so I'm the only Kuraigakure shinobi in the world."

"That makes sense then." he pondered. "He wanted to replicate your ability to use in other shinobi, shinobi loyal to him."

"Hai, but he never managed to figure it out. That's why he wants me back so badly, to continue his experiments on me, I never would follow him and he detested me for that." I explained. "I was trapped there for close to four years and then the Konoha shinobi rescued me."

"That's what you were doing in Konohagakure then, this all also explains why you are so much stronger than those your age." he pondered, I tilted my head to the side curiously.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, he smiled a little and cupped my cheek.

"Your chakra is equivalent now to that of an Anbu." he told me, I blinked dumbly. "When we first brought you here, you were at the level of a mid-ranged Jounin."

"That's why you were interested in me then?" I guessed, he nodded in agreement.

"I also figured you would be safest here from Orochimaru, if he were to have your power at his disposal then it wouldn't go well for the rest of the world." he explained. That confused me, he'd brought me here to _protect_ me?

"I don't understand why you want to protect me." I admitted, he smiled again.

"At first, my intention was keeping the world safe. Now though, I want to keep _you_ safe." he answered, I felt my cheeks go warm at his confession. "You're a very special girl Sada."

"Why do you care so much about me?" I whispered, I felt my breath hitch in my throat when he leaned down closer to my face.

"Is it not obvious?" he said softly, I shook my head.

"You confuse me." I admitted, feeling embarrassed. "You're so different than everyone else."

He smiled softly at me, his thumb still stroking my cheek. I blushed darker when he leaned down closer to my face, my eyes slipped shut when his lips brushed against mine, I could feel my heart skipping at the contact. I smiled when Itachi fully pressed his lips against mine, kissing me gently. I'd never had a kiss like this other than with Haku, it was filled with so much compassion and tenderness. I moved my lips against his, he held my face gently in both hands, I hadn't even felt this much understanding in a kiss before. It was as though, he knew my soul and could see my heart. He broke the kiss, I opened my eyes to find his onyx eyes staring at me.

"Do you understand now?" he asked, I felt my cheeks go warm again.

"You...l-love m-me?" I stuttered, he nodded.

"I do." he agreed, moving his fingers through my hair. "I want to protect you and keep you safe." I felt my cheeks go warm, he'd admitted that he loved me, I'd been right. What did that mean for us though? Was that going to have to be a secret? Was no one allowed to know how he felt about me? "How do you feel?" he asked, I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

"The same way you feel." I whispered, reaching up and playing with a strand of his hair. "I-I love you." He smiled softly and pressed his lips to my forehead, stroking my hair softly.

"And I love you." he said.

I felt my heart jump in my chest at the words and scooted closer to him, laying my head on chest. I smiled a little when he moved his arms around me, pulling me to lean against him. I snuggled close to him, feeling content with myself for the first time in a while, I felt like I could lay here with him forever. I felt another smile come to my lips when his hand began rubbing my back comfortingly, looking up at him through my bangs.

"Itachi?"

"Hai Sada?"

"Is this our secret?" I asked, he smiled a little.

"Do you want it to be?" he replied, I bit down on my lower-lip nervously.

"I don't want to jeopardize your mission." I told him, he tightened his arm around me in a hug.

"You won't." he whispered, I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter what everyone else says, I just can't blow my cover."

"Okay...I wish Sasuke knew the truth. He's so angry with you." I sighed, he continued rubbing my back.

"I do too, we'll have to face off one day." he commented, I shook my head against him.

"I don't want you to." I admitted, staring up into his eyes.

"It won't be for a few years." he told me, I nodded a little. As much as I didn't want him to do it, I knew it was going to happen one day, I just hoped when that day came Sasuke would know the truth. If he didn't know the truth, I hoped that Itachi wouldn't die.

"Itachi?" He looked down into my eyes, I moved my fingers through his hair. "I...faced off against Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams and he did something to me." I whispered, he tightened his arm around me. "He...gave me this curse mark and I'm scared of it, it's dark power."

"I'll see what I can do to help you." he whispered, sounding concerned.

"Arigato." I said softly.

I felt so blessed to be here right now, with him, I'd never thought that I would find love like this. He was perfect and everything I'd ever wanted in a man, he was so gentle with me in a way that reminded me of Haku. It felt like, we were the same in so many aspects. Even though he couldn't tell me everything that was going on with his mission, I was fine with it. As long as he was safe and I could be with him, I wasn't going to wish for anything else. I smiled when he hugged me tightly, snuggling into his embrace.

'Arigato...Haku.'

* * *

 **Author's Note: BOOM! Deidara is back and romance is blooming between Itachi and Sada! What's going to happen when she realizes that Deidara is part of the Akatsuki? What's Deidara going to do when he finds out that the girl is actually Sada and she's with Itachi? What's going to happen when Itachi finds out that Deidara is Sada's ex boyfriend? So many things could happen! Any ideas? Comment in the reviews and let me know!  
**


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SADA'S ROOM_

"Can I see it yet?" I stood up on my tiptoes and looked over the easel, finding Itachi's onyx eyes from across the room. I shook my head, he'd just have to wait a few more minutes.

"I'm almost done." I said softly, he chuckled quietly.

"Very well."

I heard a giggle come from my throat and stood flat on the ground, focusing my attention on my painting. I just needed to add a few more details and it would be done, I hoped he would like it as much as he enjoyed my first painting I'd done for him. I bit down on my lower lip in concentration, focusing on finishing the background of the painting. Sunsets could be quite hard to capture on a canvas but I was determined to make it look as perfect as possible.

'I just need to add some pink and then I'll be done.'

I ran my brush across the canvas in a few spots before stepping back to examine it as a whole. I tilted my head to the side, looking at it from every angle before finally nodding to myself in approval, now he could see it. I put my paintbrush down and stepped around the easel, beckoning him over. He smiled softly and moved up from the bed, coming to my side.

"What do you think?" I asked, feeling nervous.

He moved his hand around my waist to rest on my hip, looking over my finished work. The painting I had just finished was a request from Itachi, he'd wanted me to paint us together. It had embarrassed me a little to say the least but I'd put my heart into making something beautiful that he would love. I'd made the background of the painting a sunset, making sure to get the details in the sky perfect. In the painting, we were standing together, facing each other. Our hands were laced through each other's, held up close to our chests as we stared into each others eyes, we both had small smiles on our faces. I didn't think I would ever manage to capture the perfection of Itachi's smile though, nothing was better than the real thing.

"Sada." I looked up at him when he said my name, I felt a smile come to my lips when I saw the warm look in his eyes. "This is beautiful." he told me, my cheeks went warm in embarrassment.

"Arigato." I whispered, smiling again when he placed a kiss to my temple.

I looked back over my shoulder when I heard a knock at my door, Konan was here. I looked at Itachi nervously, he merely shook his head and covered the painting with a sheet, the warm look in his eyes disappearing. I moved out of his touch and went to the door, opening it.

"Konban wa Sada-chan." she greeted, I smiled brightly.

"Oka-san!" I exclaimed, hugging her tightly around the waist. She giggled softly and patted my head, moving one of her arms around my shoulders to hug me back. "I've missed you."

"And I missed you dear." she said, moving out of the hug. I looked up at her, my stomach flipping when her eyes locked on Itachi, standing behind us. "Konban wa Itachi-san."

"Konan-san." he greeted in a cold voice, I looked back at him over my shoulder.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." she said, sounding confused; Itachi shook his head.

"Of course not Konan-san, I was merely informing Sada of her training session tomorrow with the Akatsuki." he said, sounding emotionless. Konan nodded, I bowed my head in Itachi's direction.

"Arigato Itachi-sama." I said quietly.

He nodded, heading in the direction of my door. I side stepped, Konan moving out of the doorway and he exited the room without another word. I felt my cheeks go warm and played with a strand of my hair, wishing that he hadn't left so soon. It felt like hours wasn't even close to enough time with him. Konan entered the room and shut the door behind her, we moved to sit on my bed.

"How are you feeling about the Akatsuki sitting in on your training?" she asked, I rubbed my arm self-consciously.

"Nervous." I admitted. "I'm...scared."

"Don't be." she said, patting my head. "I'll make sure to keep everyone quiet so they don't distract you."

"What if I do bad?" I pressed, she smiled sweetly.

"Sada-chan, you could never do bad. You're strong and smart, you know how to think on your feet." she assured, I smiled at her encouragement.

"Arigato Oka-san." I whispered, looking up at her through my bangs.

"How about, we do something to take your mind off it." she suggested, I felt a smile come to my lips.

"Like what?" I pressed, she giggled.

"How would you like to see Amegakure?" she asked, I bounced up to my feet.

"More than anything." I exclaimed, she giggled quietly again.

"Alright, let's go then." she agreed, moving to her feet.

I followed her across the floor of my room, out the door and down the hallway. I trotted up next to her, my hair swaying behind me and nudged her hand. She giggled and took my hand in hers, holding onto it tightly. I smiled and leaned my head against her arm, happy to have her company. I was so enthusiastic about going outside, seeing a part of the world I'd only been in as a child, being able to explore. Maybe I could find something for Itachi while I was out and about, I was sure I could find some type of present for him.

We took a good few turns as we walked down the hallway together, finally coming to a door I'd never seen before. Konan placed her free hand on the door, closing her eyes. I watched her curiously for a moment before turning my attention to the door, I felt my eyes widen in surprise when all the gears began turning. There were clicks and bangs, the sounds of locks moving around before the door finally swung open. I covered my eyes at the bright light, realizing how dark the base really was.

Konan tugged on my hand, I followed behind her as I shielded my eyes until I was used to the light. We walked a few steps and the door slammed shut behind us, I finally moved my hand from my eyes. The dark clouds in the sky were beautiful, blocking out most of the sun's rays and it was slightly sprinkling, I pulled my hood over my head.

"Alright, let's walk." Konan said, sounding happy.

I nodded in agreement and we walked hand in hand down the street, I looked around in amazement as we walked. It was like my own personal dream, everything had a dark feel to it like my former home, I was more comfortable here than I'd ever been in Konohagakure. There were all sorts of stalls in the streets, kids running around playing, I didn't think I'd ever seen a place this lovely. To any normal person, this would've looked like a gloomy place with the rain but I thought it was amazing. I smiled brightly when I saw a jewelry stall, tugging on Konan's hand.

"Can I see if they have any charms for my bracelet?" I asked, she nodded with a smile. We walked over to the stall, the woman immediately bowed her head when she saw us.

"Tenshi-sama." she exclaimed, bowing her head. I looked at Konan curiously, lady angel?

"Konnichiwa." she greeted, a large smile on her lips. "My daughter is interested in what jewelry you have."

"Of course Tenshi-sama." the woman said quickly, her eyes shining with happiness. "Whatever you wish is yours." I tilted my head to the side curiously as I looked at Konan, I didn't understand what was going on. Why was this lady talking to her the way she was?

"Go on dear, you can have whatever you want." she urged, I nodded hesitantly.

I looked over the charms, smiling a little when I saw a snowflake. The snowflake reminded me of Haku, we always played in the snow together as children during the winter, those were some of my most cherished memories with him. It seemed like the perfect way to remember him in charm form, I turned my head to Konan.

"I like the snowflake Oka-san." I told her, she nodded a little.

"May we please have the snowflake charm?" she asked politely, the woman nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Of course Tenshi-sama." she replied, reaching for it before handing it to Konan. Konan nodded thankfully and turned to me, holding my wrist up to eye level. She helped attach the charm to my bracelet, smiling when she finished.

"There, do you like it?" she asked, I nodded in agreement.

"I love it, arigato Oka-san." I said, hugging her tightly around the waist. She giggled quietly and patted my head, looking at the stall owner.

"How much do we owe you for the charm?" Konan asked, I blinked dumbly when she shook her head.

"Nothing Tenshi-sama, I hope your daughter enjoys it." she said, smiling widely.

"Arigato." Konan replied. "Let's go Sada-chan." I nodded and took the hand Konan offered me, walking away from the stall with her. As we walked, more people bowed their heads to Konan as we passed, I needed to know what was going on.

"Oka-san?" She looked down at me, I played with my crystal necklace nervously. "Ano...nande...are these people bowing to you?" I inquired, she smiled softly at me.

"Pein is considered a Kami in Amegakure." she explained, I tilted my head to the side curiously. "As his right hand and messenger, the people consider me to be his tenshi."

"So that's why that woman was calling you Tenshi-sama?" I guessed, she nodded in agreement.

"Hai, we have brought peace to Amegakure and they appreciate our efforts to keep our country safe." she told me, I nodded understanding. "We want to expand our cause to the entire world, world peace with no wars."

"Is that why leader-sama made the Akatsuki?" I asked, she smiled a little.

"That's the main goal." she answered. "For now, we have to focus on the smaller ones that will lead us to that one. We have to accomplish those before anything else if we are to achieve."

"Do the other members know that?" I questioned, she shook her head.

"No Sada-chan and Pein doesn't want them to, he believes that keeping them in the dark is in our best interests." she explained, I bit down on my lower lip in thought. "I have told you because I trust you, I know you won't say anything to anyone else."

"I won't." I agreed, nodding along with my words. "I'd like to help though, a world without war sounds wonderful."

"That's why you're being trained, so you can become a member and help us achieve that goal." she said, I squeezed her hand.

Maybe I could do more though, if the Akatsuki helped me take the throne of Kuraigakure then they would have another village of shinobi on their side, loyal to their cause. I didn't like the idea of telling Konan about my past, I didn't want her to look at me differently but Itachi hadn't, so why would Konan? I swallowed nervously and looked back up at Konan, the look in her eyes told me nothing would change, I was going to do this. It was in the best interests of the world and I wanted to help make the change.

"Oka-san?"

"Hai Sada-chan?"

"I need to tell you something." I started, she moved her orange eyes to find my red ones.

"Nani dear?" she said, I took a slow breath.

"I think I can do more to help." I told her, she tilted her head to the side curiously.

"I don't understand dear, what do you mean?" she asked.

"Oka-san, there's something I haven't told you about my past." I admitted. "I'm...Hime Nori Tsukiyo Sada of Kuraigakure." She stopped in her tracks, staring down into my eyes with a surprised look. "Gomen...for not telling you."

"Sada-chan...you're the heir to Kuraigakure's throne?" she pressed, I nodded in agreement.

"Hai, the youngest of three but I'm still an heir. And...I'd like my village to be on your side." I said quietly. "Demo...I'd need to overthrow my Outo-san."

"When Pein hears about this...it'll change everything Sada-chan." she whispered, I nodded a little.

"I know, demo...I want to help. I want to make the world a better place, safe." I stated, she smiled a little.

"If we have the Akatsuki go in there, we could definitely help you take your throne." she said, sounding confident.

"The village is corrupt." I admitted, Konan squeezed my hand. "My Outo-san has everyone believing the outside world can't be trusted, I didn't understand when I was a child but I do now. He doesn't want interference from other villages, he doesn't want anyone to take away his power."

"Then we'll have to do what's in the best interest of the people." she stated. I smiled when she moved her hand to my head, patting it gently. "I'm glad you told me this, that's another village that we can help and since you're the hime then it will be easier to have the villagers support."

"I'm afraid to go back there but I'm willing to do it, if there are shinobi of Kuraigakure on our side then we'll have a huge advantage against people like Orochimaru." I said quietly, she nodded in agreement.

"Let's head back so I can let Pein know about this." she instructed. "I'm not sure when he'll inform the rest of the Akatsuki of this, but I figure it won't be for a while, he'll want to plan out every last detail before making a move this big." I nodded in agreement and followed her down the streets, holding onto her hand as we walked. "Sada-chan, it was very brave of you to tell me the truth." I felt my cheeks go hot at the praise and nodded a little, happy that I could be of help.

"Arigato Oka-san, I just want to help." I said softly, she squeezed my hand lovingly.

"You have no idea how much you just did." she said.

We faced the door and Konan placed her hand on it, focusing her chakra. The gears began turning again, the bolts moving inside the door when they recognized Konan's chakra, the locks clicking. The door swung open and we head back inside the base, the door shutting behind us silently. We didn't exchange any words as we walked the hallways, after a few minutes I finally recognized where I was in the base.

"I can go on by myself from here Oka-san." I told her, I smiled when she pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"Alright Sada-chan."

We parted ways and I pulled my hood off my head, smiling softly to myself as I head in the direction of my room. I was glad that I could be of use to the organization, extremely pleased that I'd learned that the goal was world peace, I wondered what the other members would think when they found out about that detail. I entered my room and threw off my jacket, moving to my easel. My painting should be dry by now, I wanted to take it to Itachi. I moved the cover off it and cautiously pressed a finger to it, inspecting the painting. Dry, just like I'd thought. I took the painting from my easel, holding it to my chest and head out of my room, shutting the door behind me.

I walked the halls in the direction of Itachi's room, smiling widely to myself. I couldn't wait to tell him everything Konan had said, about my village being able to help, about the world peace goal. I had promised her that I wouldn't say anything about it but I needed to tell Itachi, I was sure he'd be happy to hear about that. In the past few days I'd learned that he was a pacifist, violence wasn't in his heart like so many people thought, he was quite the kind and gentle person. We were the same in that aspect, I only fought for one reason, to protect those precious to me. I stopped infront of his door, knocking lightly. I smiled when he opened the door, his onyx eyes meeting mine.

"I brought you this." I said softly, he beckoned me inside. I walked inside his room and he shut the door behind me, coming to my side. "Do you still like it?" I asked, showing him the painting again. He smiled softly and nodded, taking it from my fingers.

"I do." he whispered, placing a kiss to my forehead. "I'll hang it right here so I can see you every time I wake up." I felt my cheeks go warm when he hung the painting on the wall, rubbing my arm in embarrassment. It was still so odd to hear him so sweet and kind sounding, I hoped I would manage to get used to it.

"Oka-san told me something I thought you may want to know." I whispered, going to the couch and taking a seat. He sat next to me, taking one of my hands in his.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding curious. I felt my cheeks go warm when he pressed his lips against my cheek, squeezing his hand lovingly.

"She told me the real goal of the organization." I said softly, leaning my forehead against his. I looked up at him through my lashes, his eyes were urging me to continue. "It's world peace."

"Really?" he pressed, I nodded a little.

"Hai, she said that they have other goals to accomplish first before that one can happen. Maybe that's why they needed strong members, to get the dangerous stuff out of the way." I pondered. Itachi moved his free hand to my face, cupping my cheek.

"If that's true, then we need to be prepared." he observed. I leaned into his touch, smiling a little when he caressed my cheek with his thumb. "I want to keep you safe."

"I will be, I'm more worried about you." I admitted; he smiled softly at that, his eyes shining with the warmth I'd grown to love about him.

"I'll be just fine." he assured. "You are my main priority."

"Demo your eyes-"

"I'm fine." he repeated. "The blindness hasn't come back yet, I believe your jutsu will hold it off a little longer."

"You'll tell me when it comes back right?" I asked, he nodded agreeing.

"Of course, I won't keep that from you."

I smiled a little at his words, moving my free hand to his face and brushing his bangs out of his eye. I'd never felt so much trust with someone before, someone I knew so little about but yet, I felt as if I knew everything about him. I didn't understand why I felt the way I did, it was the most confusing thing about this relationship of ours. But what I did know, was that I cared very deeply for Itachi and loved him, I wanted to do everything in my power to keep him safe from harm and pain. I felt a smile come to my lips when he kissed my nose tenderly, not understanding what I had done to deserve this perfect man.

"Itachi?"

"Hai?"

"Ano...would it be alright if I stayed with you tonight?" I asked nervously, I watched the smile come to his lips. "Ano...I'm just nervous about tomorrow and being around you makes me feel better." He nodded, running his fingers through my hair.

"Of course you can stay here." he said softly, I smiled and pressed my lips to his nose.

"Arigato."

"We need to sleep soon anyway, training will be early tomorrow." he stated, sighing softly.

"Okay." I agreed. "I just need to change into something else first."

"Alright, don't bother knocking when you come back. Just come in." he offered, I smiled at his words.

I moved up from the couch after he pressed his lips to mine in a quick kiss, heading out of his room and down the hallway in the direction of my room. As I walked, I couldn't help but thank Haku in my head, he'd promised to send me someone and I'd found them. Well, more like he'd found me but I wasn't alone anymore. I was with the person he wanted for me and I wasn't going to let anything tear him away from me.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and if you have any questions then leave a review and I'll answer them next chapter :)**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SADA'S ROOM_

I swallowed nervously as I stared down my reflection, trying to calm my heart down. I pulled my hair down from the ponytail, my hair fell down around my face, hiding me from myself. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, it felt like the oxygen couldn't get to my lungs fast enough. I just needed to calm down and breathe, it was almost time for training and I couldn't have a panic attack over it. It wasn't like training was any different, there were just going to be some extra eyes in the room observing my techniques. I walked out of the bathroom and grabbed my weapons pouch, attaching it to my side and turned my head to the door when I heard a knock. I swallowed nervously and moved across the floor to answer the door, smiling a little when I saw Itachi. I opened the door wider, allowing him to step inside my room. He shut the door behind him, turning to face me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Just nervous." I admitted. I felt my cheeks go warm when he placed his hand on the side of my head, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Don't be. Konan-san will be there to look out for you and I won't let anything happen to you." he assured, stroking my hair.

I nodded a little at his promise, leaning my head into his touch. I felt so safe with him, as if he'd always be there to look out for me, watching over me like a guardian angel. He made me feel like there was still good in the world, like there was something to look forward to every day. It was like a beautiful dream when I was with him, I didn't understand how I'd went so long without having him in my life. I looked up through my lashes, blushing darkly at the warm look in his eyes.

"Are you ready?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me in a hug.

"I think so." I whispered, nodding against his chest.

I smiled when he leaned down close to my face, his lips brushing mine. My eyes slipped shut when he pressed his lips to mine, kissing me gently. I moved my arms around his neck as he kissed me softly, giggling quietly when he poked my side. I opened my eyes to meet his, a wide smile on my lips when I saw the loving look in his eyes.

"You'll do great." he encouraged. His hand was rubbing my back, moving in slow circles, comforting me.

"Alright, I'm ready." I stated, he pressed his lips to mine again in a quick kiss.

"Let's go."

Itachi moved out of my touch and went to the door, opening it and walking out into the hallway. I followed behind him, trying to stay confident in my abilities. We walked down the hallway in silence towards the training room, I felt my heartbeat calm down when Itachi placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, smiling a little when I saw the warmth in his eyes. I didn't know how long we were going to keep our relationship a secret but I wasn't sure if I would be able to manage too much longer, I didn't think I could be as skilled of an actor as he was. Especially since he made me feel so complete and whole, I felt so good when I was with him, like I was walking on air. We walked the rest of the way down the hallway, taking a few turns, I felt another smile come to my lips when I saw Konan.

"Oka-san!" I exclaimed. I bolted the rest of the way down the hallway, colliding with her and wrapped my arms tightly around her waist. She giggled softly and moved her arms around me, hugging me just as tightly.

"Ohayou dear." she greeted, patting my back. "Are you ready to show us what you can do?" I nodded against her cloak, tilting my head up to look at her.

"I'm nervous." I admitted, she smiled softly.

"I'm sure you'll do wonderfully. Kisame-san will only be using taijutsu against you so there's no need to worry." she soothed, I nodded again.

"Let's begin then." Itachi said, sounding emotionless. I watched as he opened the door to the training room, walking inside without a second thought. I moved my eyes to Konan, she stared down at me with that motherly look of hers.

"Let's go dear." I moved out of the hug and moved to stand next to Konan, grabbing onto some of the material of her cloak. She put her arm around my shoulders and I followed her into the training room, hiding behind her as best I could. "Just pretend it's a normal day." she advised, I swallowed nervously. We walked further across the training room floor, Kisame was standing in the middle of the room, his same-hada resting on his shoulder.

"Ah, finally here little one?" he teased, I felt my cheeks go warm at his tone of voice. Konan moved her arm from my shoulders and looked down at me, smiling softly.

"You'll do wonderfully, I'll keep the men quiet so they don't distract you." she told me, I nodded a little and released my hold on her cloak.

"Arigato." I whispered, she smiled and placed a kiss on the top of my head.

"Good luck."

She moved away from me, walking over to the wall. I turned my attention to Kisame, trying to ignore the fact that there were a good nine pairs of eyes on me. I took a slow breath, watching Kisame move the same-hada from his shoulder and hold it with both hands.

"None of that dark shit little one, not everyone can see in darkness." he ordered, I wrinkled my nose at the order. I needed darkness to perform my jutsu with my eyes open, I wasn't going to go along with that.

"Half the room." I said, he mumbled something too quiet for me to hear.

"Kisame." Itachi said coldly, I felt my cheeks go warm at the sound of his voice.

"Very well." Kisame agreed grudgingly. I shut my eyes and made some handsigns, focusing my chakra.

 _'Darkness Style: Reign of Darkness.'_

I opened my eyes, watching the darkness creep up from the wall behind Kisame, slowly moving across the room. I focused my chakra and waved my hand, the darkness stopped moving on command. I took a slow breath and bolted across the room at Kisame, a smirk came to his lips.

"That's more like it."

The blade swung at me, I dodged the blow, doing a front flip over him. I swung around and focused my chakra, managing to land a round a bout kick to the side of his face. He flew through the air, landing on the side of the wall, chakra focused into his feet as he stood on the side. I narrowed my eyes and made some handsigns as quickly as I could manage, focusing.

 _'Darkness Style: Black Portals.'_

I'd never used this technique in my training with Kisame, I was sure it would surprise him. I watched as the black spots began appearing in midair, slowly ripping open and stretching to my size. Kisame looked around curiously, looking around at the eighteen holes hanging in the air. A smirk came to the shark man's lips, a low chuckle from his throat.

"Now _this_ is more like it." he laughed, charging at me. I jumped back, going through one of the portals and came out on the other side of the training room. I looked in Kisame's direction and tilted my head to the side, giggling softly at the confused look in his eyes. "God damn it." he grumbled.

I made more handsigns as he ran at me, focusing my chakra. It was definitely a good call activating my _Reign of Darkness_ jutsu, being able to see while performing my jutsu was a perk I wasn't used to. I blinked when he swung the blade at me, allowing it to phase through my body and completed the last handsign.

 _'Darkness Style: Dark Wolves.'_

I watched the purple smoke rise from the ground, twisting and turning to form my wolves. Kisame growled softly and aimed a punch at my face, I allowed it to phase through my body.

"Kuso!" he yelled. "Konan-san!"

I giggled quietly and did some backhand springs, putting some distance between myself and the former Kirigakure shinobi. My five wolves ran across the training room and crouched down infront of me, ready to pounce at Kisame if he came near me.

"No more kekkei genkai dear." Konan hollered. "It's not fair for training." I nodded at the instruction, I guessed she was right, I couldn't make it _too_ easy on myself. Kisame ran at me, sword raised, I snapped my fingers.

"Attack." I said softly, my wolves lunged in Kisame's direction.

I tilted my head to the side as they bound across the training room at him, Kisame didn't look threatened by my jutsu. While he was busy with them though, I felt a storm was in order. I made some handsigns, throwing my body through another portal when Kisame launched some shuriken at me, coming out another. I watched the shuriken bounce off the wall, focusing.

 _'Darkness Style: Black Storm.'_

The purple began streaking across the ceiling of the training room, dark clouds began forming in the air. I glanced at Kisame to see a serious look on his face, slashing down one of my wolves. I watched as it poofed away, black lightening began striking down. I'd made sure not to use too much chakra this time, I didn't want to destroy the training room floor again or harm anyone else in the room. I watched as Kisame dodged the bolts, making his way across the training room towards me. I quickly made some more handsigns, trying to up my chances of winning. I'd never won against him before, lately we'd been tying but I wanted to win for once.

 _'Darkness Style: Spike Projection.'_

The room came to life, spikes shooting out of the walls. I watched Kisame's eyes widen when one went completely through his leg, another striking right above his shoulder, ripping his cloak. I moved my hand up, dark spikes coming up from the floor around him, one going through his foot. He let out a yell of pain, grunting when another nicked his arm. I closed my hand into a fist, the spikes formed around him into a sphere, trapping him. I felt a smile come to my lips after a minute, I'd won. I'd _finally_ won a battle against Kisame, my former master would've been so proud of me if he could see this.

"Well done Sada-chan!" Konan cheered.

I felt my smile widen at her praise and turn to face her, my heart stopping in my chest; _Deidara_? My eyes widened in shock at the sight of him, he was exactly the same as I remembered. His long blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail, sitting atop his head. His bangs covered the left side of his face, his bright blue eye was even visible at this distance. I could see the shocked expression on his face, the red haired male standing next to him shoved him.

I felt my heart breaking in two at the sight of him, this was where he'd went. He was part of the Akatsuki the whole time, if he hadn't told me this then the question was, what all had he lied to me about? Had he _ever_ loved me? Was he just using me the entire time he was in Konohagakure, why had he been there in the first place? Was it for a mission? I could feel the depression creeping up on me as I stared at him, the heart break I'd experienced before was slowly closing in on me. How could this be?

I felt a fist make contact with my jaw and I flew across the training room, hitting the wall on the other side. I landed face first on the floor, groaning softly in pain. I could feel the pain in my face, my back, my head had hit the floor hard. I groaned again and looked up through my disheveled hair to see Kisame approaching me, his sword swinging next to him.

"Never under-estimate your opponent girl." he spat, I narrowed my eyes angrily.

Who did he think he was? Speaking to _me_ that way? _Me_? The Hime of Kuraigakure, Hime Nori Tsukiyo Sada. How dare he use that tone of voice with me. How dare he disrespect me. How dare he treat me like I was nothing, I was more than anyone in this room. I felt rage flowing through my veins and moved up to my feet, I could feel chakra surrounding me, power consuming me. I let go, allowing it to fill me. I felt something hot move over the left side of my face, moving over my arm and down my leg.

Kisame took a step back at the sight of me, I felt a smirk come to my lips. I ran at him, my fist colliding with his jaw. He flew across the room, hitting the wall on the other side of the room. I phased through the floor quickly, coming out to where I was right infront of him and wrapped my hand around his throat. I slammed his body back against the wall, swinging my fist to the side of his face. I brought my leg up and kneed him hard in the stomach, I could feel the darkness creeping across the room.

"No." he gasped. "No."

"Afraid of the dark?" I teased, giggling softly.

The darkness was under my feet, black hands forming from the darkness, they were reaching up towards him. He swung his blade at me, I brought my arm up to block it, a dark shield stopping the attack. I turned to look back at Kisame, the smirk on my lips widening.

"How about you just lie down." I slammed his body against the floor, the dark hands grabbing him, holding him down.

"Kuso no! Itachi! Konan!"

I slammed my foot against his throat, leaning down towards him. I pulled the glove off my hand, focusing my chakra as I threw it back over my shoulder. I grinned and pushed my palm against his forehead, I could feel the chakra draining from his body, transferring to me. I didn't even need his chakra, my body felt overwhelmed by the intense amount of chakra surrounding me but I just wanted to see the light leave his eyes.

"Sada-chan no." I felt a hand grab my arm, I looked back to see Konan. I felt my eyes soften at the worried look in her eyes, what was I doing?

'No, the curse mark.'

This wasn't me. This wasn't the person I was, nor the person I wanted to be. This dark power, it was trying to warp my mind and change who I was. It ran off of my rage, it was able to take over when I got angry. I didn't want this for myself, I didn't want to be this kind of person. This was the type of people I wanted to protect the world from, not the kind I wanted to be. I felt tears roll down my cheeks and I quickly moved away from Kisame, I could feel the chakra surrounding me disappear. I felt the hotness moving up my leg, arm, moving down my face. I could feel the power I'd once had disappear, all my jutsu fading from the room.

I collapsed into Konan's arms, crying softly. I couldn't believe I'd lost control like that, was that what Orochimaru had wanted by giving me the curse mark? Was he trying to make it to where I could only turn to him? That had to be his intentions, he was trying to make it to where I'd be alone and could only go to him for help. I felt Konan smooth my hair, holding me close to her.

"Kisame." I heard Itachi's voice, moving my face out of Konan's cloak to look at him.

"Hurts like a bitch." he grunted, Itachi's eyes found mine.

"G-g-gomen Itachi-sama." I stuttered, he nodded once.

"Kakuzu, Sasori. I need your assistance." Itachi said coolly.

I watched Kakuzu come into view, the red haired man I'd see standing next to Deidara was approaching as well. He was barely taller than I was from what it looked like, he had an emotionless expression on his face as he inspected Kisame's wounds. His eyes were grey, lazy and bored looking. He had fiery red hair, the same color as Gaara's, and it fell in a messy style, slightly infront of his eyes. I turned back to Konan, she wiped the tears from my eyes, her eyes held the normal motherly look she carried when she looked at me.

"Come on dear, let's get you back to your room." she advised, I nodded halfheartedly.

She helped me to my feet and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, I leaned against her and hid my face in her cloak as she led me across the training room. I swallowed nervously, wondering what was going to happen to me now but relaxed when Konan hugged me around the shoulders. She opened the door of the training room, leading me out into the hallway.

"Let's get him to the medical room." Kakuzu's gruff voice said.

I walked with Konan down the hallway, not knowing what to say to her. My body was exhausted from the curse mark's dark power, I needed to sleep this off. I hoped that Konan wouldn't reconsider my position as a subordinate in Akatsuki because of my screw up. More importantly though, I hoped she would continue to be my mother. I hadn't meant for any of this to happen, I hadn't meant to lose control the way I had, I hadn't meant to injure Kisame like that. I hoped she could see that, I hoped she knew the truth about me.

I peaked my head out from her cloak when I heard a door open, we'd made it back to my room. I released my hold on her cloak but her arm stayed wrapped around my shoulders as she led me inside the room, shutting the door behind us. She walked me over to the bed, I crawled up onto the bed and laid down, Konan sat on the edge of the bed next to me and placed her hand on my head.

"Sada-chan." I looked up into her orange eyes nervously, feeling confused at the look in her eyes. "What was that dear?"

"A-a-a-ano...g-g-g-gomen Oka-san." I stuttered, I could feel my eyes burning as the tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Shh." she cooed, stroking my hair. "I'm not angry dear, I'm concerned."

"Demo...I hurt him." I cried, she leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"It's alright." she soothed. "Just please, tell me what that was. I want to help you."

"The curse mark." I cried harder, more tears slipping down my cheeks. "Orochimaru...h-he forced it on me...I d-d-didn't w-wa-want it." I whispered, trying not to choke on my words.

"Shh, it's okay." she cooed, continuing to pet my hair. "Did anyone else know about this?"

"I-i-Itachi-sama." I choked, she nodded a little.

"I'm sure we can do something Sada-chan." she assured. "Pein may be able to help." I nodded against her hand, smiling sadly when she wiped some of the tears from my eyes. "It's nothing to be ashamed of dear, we all have something we aren't proud of." I nodded again, happy that she wasn't upset with me but then I remembered...Deidara.

"Oka-san...I need to tell you something." I said, wiping at the remaining tears.

"What is it dear?" she asked, I bit down on my lower lip nervously.

I was nervous about telling her about Deidara, I didn't know what she was going to say about it but I knew I couldn't lie to her about it. I needed to tell her the truth, I'd hidden the curse mark from her and it'd caused a big mess. If I hid this from her, it could cause something worse to happen within the headquarters or in the outside world. I didn't want to risk keeping this to myself, it was in my best interest to be honest with her about everything that had happened between him and myself.

"It's about my boyfriend, the one I told you about." I said, she sighed softly.

"Sada-chan, I know you must miss him and I know it can be hard dealing with-"

"No, it's not that." I interrupted, she tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Then what is it dear?" she asked.

"He's here...it's Deidara."

Her eyes widened in shock, the look on her face told me she was surprised. She didn't say anything, I figured she wasn't sure how to approach this. She was more than likely worried about the organization's safety, about the secrecy of their group. Maybe I needed to explain to her that I hadn't known he was in the Akatsuki, that I hadn't known anything about it until Itachi and Kisame had come to Konohagakure and brought me here. I needed to explain everything that I could so she would understand.

"I...I didn't know he was in Akatsuki." I told her. "I didn't know about it until Itachi-sama brought me here."

"He told you nothing." she said, I nodded in agreement.

"Oka-san...I'm so hurt...angry...sad." I whispered, wrapping an arm around myself. "I feel like I'm going to fall apart."

"We'll figure this out Sada-chan." she swore, moving her hand to pet my hair.

"I don't know if he even loved me for sure." I admitted, she moved her arms around me in a hug.

"Gomenasai dear." she whispered, sounding concerned. "I wish this hadn't happened to you."

"I-I don't even know if I want to talk to him." I said softly, sighing quietly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." she reminded me, I nodded a little. "I can have Itachi-san keep him away from you."

"I just...need to think." I concluded, she nodded a little.

"I'll leave you to do that then. I need to talk with Pein." she told me. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out."

I nodded agreeing and she placed a kiss on my head, moving up from the bed. She walked across the floor and exited the room, I rolled over on my side to stare at the wall. As I laid there, I couldn't help but replay all my time with Deidara in my head, thinking over everything he'd told me and said to me. Was all of it lies, was anything he said to me truthful? I felt tears slip down my cheeks, my eyes were burning. I closed my eyes, trying to stifle my tears. I held the cry in my throat, squeezing my sides. All I knew at this point, was I just wanted to be alone for a while.

* * *

 **Author's Note: At last, I've been waiting for this big moment forever. Now Deidara has seen Sada, and Sada has seen Deidara. Neither of them thought they would ever see each other again and BAM! Happened. Let me know what you guys thought of the chapter and any other thoughts or questions you might have.  
**


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; DEIDARA'S ROOM_

'She's been here the whole time.'

Deidara paced the floor of his room, his blonde ponytail bouncing with every step he took. He turned around when he got to the other side of his room, pacing again. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have overlooked everything? How could he have been so blind? She had been here the whole time and he'd never known it, everything made sense now. The Akatsuki's interest in her, the reason she'd never replied or opened his letters, she'd been here. Itachi had kidnapped _his_ girlfriend.

He growled softly and slammed his fist into the wall, he couldn't even feel the pain from the punch, he was so enraged. Itachi had kidnapped _his_ girlfriend and handed her to the Akatsuki on a silver platter, he had tried to protect her and Itachi had fucked up everything he'd done to achieve that. Everything that had went wrong with his life, was always caused by Itachi. Itachi was the reason that he was in the Akatsuki, he was the reason his girlfriend was a prisoner to them, and he was the reason that his life was hell. The clay user stalked across his room to the door and jerked it open, walking out into the hallway. He slammed his door shut and head down the hallway, he was going to set things straight.

He had to find Sada and explain everything to her, tell her how much he loved her and the reason he'd never told her the truth about the Akatsuki. He had to make her understand, he needed her to know the truth. He needed her to know that he loved her with all his heart and that she was everything to him, he was sure he could get her to see the truth. Everything else he'd told her, everything that had nothing to do with the Akatsuki was the truth. He'd never lied to her about anything that didn't involve his work with the organization.

He walked the hallways, trying to figure out which room she would be in as he walked. He needed to see her, talk to her. He sighed softly and moved his bangs aside, trying to remain in control of his emotions. He was a mess though, a whirlwind of different emotions were causing a storm inside him, he had to set things right today. He'd been stewing on this for days after he'd seen her during the training session, he couldn't wait any longer. It was around breakfast time, maybe he should check the dining room or kitchen before trying to find her room.

He head in the direction of the kitchen, quickening his pace as he walked. His heart was racing at the idea of seeing her, his stomach tied in all sorts of knots at the thought of hearing her voice. He was as nervous as he could be but he wasn't going to let nerves stop him, he had to see this through. He entered the kitchen, not surprised when he didn't see anyone in there. He tilted his head to the side curiously when he saw the freshly made coffee, someone was awake. He moved across the floor to the door that lead to the dining room, opening it. He peaked his head in, Kisame and Kakuzu were sitting at the table.

Kisame looked much better, he still had a few scratches and bruises but he was healing faster than most. Deidara walked into the dining room, both men turned in the direction of his footsteps. Deidara waved his hand halfheartedly, Kakuzu merely grunted and went back to his notebook.

"Ohayou." Deidara greeted, sitting across the table from the shark like shinobi.

"Ooi kid." Kisame said gruffly, taking a sip of his coffee.

"How are you feeling hm?" the blonde asked, Kisame shrugged.

"A little better every day, kid's jutsu is rough." he grumbled, Deidara nodded a little.

"Seems that way." Kakuzu commented, focusing on his calculations. "Kuraigakure shinobi have one of the strongest elements to work with."

"Not surprising that ya know about them." Kisame replied. "Being as old as ya are."

"They have mostly disappeared from our world, they used to be in abundance during the reign of the first Kage's." he said, Deidara tilted his head to the side curiously. "Stopped venturing out as often and nowadays, stay in their own village."

"Do you know where it is hm?" Deidara asked, moving his bangs aside.

"They've since moved since I was there last." Kakuzu responded. "That was many years ago."

"Must be fate or some shit that we got the only one on our side." Kisame grunted.

"How is she?" Deidara asked, Kisame's eyes moved to the blonde curiously.

"Fine I suppose." he grumbled. "Haven't seen the kid, Itachi-san's been dealing with it."

Deidara narrowed his visible eye at the mention of the Sharingan user, jealousy bubbling up inside him. _He_ should've been there with her, not Itachi. That was his girlfriend and the love of his life, he should've been the one that was helping her through whatever was going on. He'd never felt dark power like that before and it was all coming from her, from his sweet angel. He didn't understand it but he wanted to do anything and everything to help her. If she was cursed with it then he was sure he could find someway to break it or at least help her keep it at bay. She didn't need to be subject to it, she'd completely changed when that power had been in control. He'd never seen her so cruel, so uncaring about what happened to Kisame, she'd been so...dark. He snapped back to reality, had Kisame just said what he thought he'd said?

"She's very loyal to him." he was telling Kakuzu, Deidara clenched his fist angrily. "Just like she is with Konan-san, calls her Oka-san."

"Kid must've not had a family." Kakuzu grunted, sounding uninterested.

"Seems that way." Kisame said boredly. "I'm waiting for my damn title, hell, she calls Itachi-san, _Itachi-sama_."

Deidara had enough, he couldn't listen to this anymore. He pushed himself up from the table and stalked across the floor, out the door of the dining room. He didn't know what else he could do, he had to find her. He stalked down the hallway, trying to figure out which rooms had been unoccupied in the headquarters. He couldn't just go through knocking on every door in the base, that would take too long.

'Matte, Konan-san's her guardian.'

Deidara ran down the hallway, going in the direction of Konan's room. If he could find the blue-haired kunoichi, she could show him where Sada was staying. Then he would be able to go to her and explain everything, tell her how much she meant to him. He would be able to make things right with her and win her back. He skid to a stop infront of Konan's room, knocking on the door. He rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited, smiling a little when Konan answered the door.

"Deidara-san." she said, sounding surprised.

"Ohayou Konan-san. I hope I'm not disturbing you hm." he greeted, she shook her head.

"Of course not, do you need something?" she asked, the blonde nodded in agreement.

"Ano, I was wondering where the girl's room is hm. I'd like to meet her and-"

"Enough." she interrupted, Deidara sealed his lips at the order. "I know everything, she told me about you."

"Then you must know I care about her Konan-san hm. I didn't want to leave her." he said quickly, hoping she would understand. She pursed her lips, not looking phased at the slightest by his words.

"You won't be seeing her." Deidara felt his heart drop down into his stomach, not understanding why Konan was being so harsh. She was normally so pleasant to talk to, kind, what had gotten into her? He just wanted to make things right with Sada. "That poor child is a mess, because of what _you_ have done." Konan accused, her voice sounding dangerous. "I will not allow you to hurt her again."

"Demo Konan-san. I just want to explain hm." he pleaded, she shook her head.

"That girl is like my child and I will protect her from whatever I have to." Konan said slowly. "Including _you_."

"I love her." he exclaimed.

"I seriously doubt that." Konan retorted. "Now please go."

She shut the door of her room, Deidara stared at it wide eyed, not knowing what to do with himself. He bowed his head and walked away from the kunoichi's door, walking down the hallway slowly. He wasn't sure what to do now, if Konan wouldn't allow him to see her then he didn't know what else he could do. He blinked dumbly when realized that he could leave her a note, the only problem was that he didn't know where her room was. But maybe, if he gave it to one of his creations then it could find her.

He felt a smile come to his face at the thought and bolted back to his room, running down the hallway. He managed to dodge Tobi when he saw him running the halls, pushing his bangs out of his face. He had to hurry, in case Konan tried to keep him from her. He made it back to his room in record time, pushing open the door and shutting it, quickly moving to his desk. He grabbed a pen and paper, popping a piece of clay into the mouth on his hand and began to write.

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; ITACHI'S ROOM_

I looked up at Itachi through my bangs, smiling a little when his finger ran down my cheek. He chuckled softly at my smile, moving his arm around my waist. I scooted across the bed, cuddling closer to him as we laid together. We hadn't really talked about what happened, I wasn't sure that I was ready to but I knew that I needed to do it. If I was going to get this curse mark under control then I needed to talk about it, I was worried about it but not as worried as I was about Deidara.

It had blown my mind that he was part of the Akatsuki, I had never expected it of him and now I didn't know how to proceed. I didn't know what he had told me was truth and what was lies, I couldn't tell the fact from fiction. At a point, I didn't know if I wanted to. At this point in time, I wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. I felt so betrayed and hurt by him, my heart was in so much pain. I'd been doing so well lately, I had started to heal and now he just showed back up in my life. It was as if he had just ripped the band-aid off my heart and caused an even worse wound. I didn't know if I could ever trust him again, I could understand not telling me about the Akatsuki but not even bothering to say goodbye, that hurt. I was beginning to think he'd never cared about me to begin with.

I didn't want to be alone anymore though, after being alone in my room for two days, I realized I was slowly destroying myself. I was falling back into a black depression and I didn't want to be in that place anymore, I'd been there long enough most of my life. I'd been staying in Itachi's room with him for a few days now, I hadn't wanted to bother Konan since she was so busy discussing things with Pein. Itachi had been more than welcoming, he'd been bringing meals to me so I wouldn't have to leave and his presence had been so comforting to me, he'd made sure to do everything he could to lift my spirits. Hours upon hours would never be enough time with him, he was caring for me in a way that no man ever had.

I felt a smile come to my lips at the thought, snuggling my head against his chest. Itachi was so gentle with me, I'd never thought someone could be so kind of a person. He was like some kind of fairy-tale as cheesy as it sounded, but he made me so happy, I hoped I made him just as happy as he made me. I wanted more than anything to be by his side every second I could, I knew he would never hurt me the way that Deidara had. I looked up at him through my bangs, his onyx eyes found mine instantly.

"Is something wrong Sada?" he asked, I shook my head against him.

"No...I was just...wondering something." I murmured, he pressed his lips into my hair.

"Nani?" he asked kindly.

"Would you ever leave me?" I asked, his eyes moved back to mine.

"Why would you ask that?" he pressed.

"I'm scared of losing you." I admitted, feeling embarrassed.

"Sada." I blinked curiously at the look in his eyes, smiling when he leaned his forehead against mine. How was he so perfect? "I would never leave you." he swore, I felt tears roll down my cheeks.

"Not even for your mission?" I pressed, he shook his head against the pillows.

"The only way I would ever leave you, is if I was taken from this world." he said softly.

I felt more tears roll down my cheeks at his words, I didn't want to even think about the _possibility_ of losing him to death. At the same time though, I wasn't just crying because of that, I was crying because I was so happy. His words made me feel so special, like I mattered more to him than anything else. I'd never had a man look at me that way, like he was _more_ than willing to put me above everything else in the world, like I was the center of his universe. It was amazing feeling to be loved this much.

"Sada, I love you." I smiled softly at the look in Itachi's eyes, the warmth in them was so beautiful. I could see clearly how much he loved me, I knew he meant every word.

"I love you too." I whispered.

I could see his eyes light up in happiness at my words, it was as if we were seeing each other in a new light, as though it was our first time meeting each other. When I'd first met Itachi, I'd never dreamed that I'd be where I am now with him. Laying in his arms, cuddling close to him, sharing secret kisses, whispering lovingly things to him. And I was sure that he'd never thought he'd be that way with me, I had been so introverted and alone, he'd seen the beauty in me that I'd never saw in myself. He'd seen so many things in me that I couldn't see and he'd fallen in love with me.

I inched closer to him and pressed my lips to his, I could feel him smile against my lips as he moved his back against mine. His hand moved up my back to my hair, his fingers running through it as the gentle kisses continued. I moved my hand to his face, cupping his cheek as he moved his lips against mine. I could feel so much love from him, so much dedication, I didn't think I could ever let go of him. I pouted when he broke the kiss, opening my eyes to meet his.

"Do you need to talk about anything?" he asked, sounding concerned. "You've seemed upset lately."

"I need to tell you something." I admitted. It felt like it was the right time, I needed to tell him about Deidara. "I just...don't want you upset with me."

"I won't be." he said, his tone kind.

"Before you came to Konohagakure, during the Chunin Exams...I was...with someone." I started, his eyes told me to keep going. "I-I didn't know..." I felt tears rolling down my cheeks, I was choking on my words. Itachi moved his hand to my cheek, wiping the tears from my face.

"Shh. It's alright, you can tell me." he whispered.

"Deidara." I choked.

He blinked, looking lost for words. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks again, I didn't want him to think I didn't want to be with him, that wasn't even close. I wanted him more than anything, I just hoped he could see that. I had to be honest with him though, I couldn't lie to him about my past with Deidara, I didn't _want_ to lie to him. I wanted what we had to be honesty and trust, mutual understanding.

"Gomen...for not telling you sooner." I apologized. "I just...I didn't know he was-"

"You don't have to explain." he interrupted. His tone was still soft, he didn't sound angry in the slightest or upset with me. "Do you love him?"

"I did." I admitted. "I don't know if he was ever honest with me about anything, he hurt me...left without saying goodbye...I know why now. Demo...my heart wants you." I felt my cheeks go hot at the confession, watching the small smile come to Itachi's lips.

"And my heart wants you." he agreed, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I want to promise you something." I tilted my head against the pillows curiously, smiling when he took my hand. "I promise, I will never lie to you about anything. I will always be honest with you and I will protect you with my life. I will spend the rest of my life by your side, if you'll have me."

I felt my cheeks heating up again, my face flushing scarlet. He was such a gentleman, so perfect in every way. Any girl would swoon if a man said that to them, but he wasn't just saying it to any girl, he was saying it to _me_. He wanted _me_ , he loved _me._ I wanted the same thing, I wanted to be by his side for the rest of my life.

"Of course I'll have you." I whispered, placing a kiss to his cheek. "And I want to promise you something." He smiled a little, moving his fingers through my blue-violet hair again. "I promise, that I will do anything and everything to make you happy. I'll never lie to you or betray you, you have my heart. I will never leave you and I will always take care of you."

I watched his eyes sparkle at my words, he was a romantic just like I was. I'd never thought that Uchiha Itachi, the prodigy of the Uchiha clan, the S-Ranked Criminal and Akatsuki member, had a soft side. But it'd always been there, he just had never been able to show it to someone else. He trusted me though, he knew I wouldn't turn on him or betray him. And I wouldn't, I would protect his secret even if it costed me my life, I would protect him with every ounce of strength I possessed. He was my world and when it came down to it, he was _precious_ to me, just as Haku had been.

"Itachi?"

"Hai Sada?"

"I think I'm ready to become a member." I told him, playing with a strand of his hair. "Do you think I'm ready?"

"I do." he agreed, his tone soft. "You've become so much stronger and you managed to defeat Kisame, he's one of our strongest members."

"I'm not too young or anything?" I questioned, he shook his head.

"I joined Akatsuki four years ago, I was also thirteen." he replied.

"That reminds me, my birthday is coming up soon. Do you think I could join on my birthday?" I asked, feeling a little excited. He smiled softly and nodded, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"We can discuss it with Konan-san." he suggested.

"Okay. Do you think you could also ask her if she can find me a Kuraigakure headband?" I added. "I'd like to have it since it's my home."

"I'll see what I can do." he murmured, laying his head on mine.

I giggled and cuddled closer to him, smiling when he wrapped his arms back around me, squeezing me lovingly. It looked like things were actually going to work out for me, being in the Akatsuki as a member would more than likely be a difficult life. Especially since we had a bunch of dangerous things we had to do in order to achieve the goal of world peace, but I was willing to commit to it. As long as I had Itachi standing with me, I was sure that I could manage to deal with it. I didn't like the thought of having to unnecessarily kill people but sacrifices would have to be made in order for this to happen and once the world was a better place, there would be no more death.

Things were actually looking up, I hadn't been this positive about things in a long time. I even felt as though, maybe it would be alright for the Akatsuki to know about my and Itachi's relationship. I didn't really feel the need to hide it anymore, we were in love and there was nothing wrong with that. Perhaps it was time for the world to know about it. I glanced up through my bangs at Itachi, smiling when I saw his eyes closed.

"Itachi?"

"Hai Sada?"

"I think I'm ready."

"For what?"

"For us to not be a secret." His eyes opened, finding mine, and he placed a kiss into my hair.

"Tomorrow then?" he suggested, I nodded.

"We can have breakfast together." I added, he smiled a little.

"Our first date." he joked, I giggled softly.

"Sounds perfect."

We sealed it with a kiss.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and liked the Deidara POV type scene at the beginning. Knowing things from his side and how he feels just puts a big twist on the whole story when we're mostly seeing things from Sada's side. To be honest, I started this story with a different idea in mind of how it would go but as I write it, things are going in a different direction and I actually enjoy how it's going. Let me know what you thought please :)**


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; KITCHEN_

I danced across the kitchen as I cooked, giggling when Itachi's onyx eyes fell on me. I felt my cheeks go warm in embarrassment, my face was probably as red as a tomato by now with how much I'd been blushing. I watched the soft smile come to his lips and turned my attention back to the stove, grabbing the spatula. I flipped over the okonomiyaki, looking around at the ingredients. I felt a smile come to my lips when Itachi came up behind me, taking hold of my hair. I tried to hold the giggle in my throat when he split it into sections and began braiding it, he was so sweet. Another smile came to my lips and I focused on finishing our breakfast as he worked on braiding my hair, I felt my cheeks go warm again when he placed a light kiss on my neck.

"Where did you learn to cook so well?" he asked after a minute, I put the okonomiyaki on some plates.

"My old love taught me when we were kids." I said easily, adding some toppings. "He died a long time ago though."

"Gomenasai." he whispered, another kiss was planted on my cheek.

"It's alright, I know he's in a better place." I whispered, trying not to feel so downhearted about it.

I grabbed the plates from the counter and turned to face him, offering one to him. He smiled and took the plate from my fingers, his free arm moved around my shoulders. I felt my cheeks going warm again at the contact and let him lead me across the kitchen floor, going into the dining room. It was early, about eight or so in the morning. I had slept amazing for the first time in a long while, I finally wasn't worrying about everything the way I usually did. Things felt right, like my life was finally on the right track. I was more than pleased about how things had been going lately, the only thing I needed to focus on at this point was trying to find a way to rid myself of the curse mark. I was sure that either Itachi or Pein could find some way to do it so I would leave that in their hands, I knew they wouldn't forsake me to the dark power. We walked across the floor of the dining room, taking seats at the table next to each other.

"What do you enjoy drinking with breakfast?" he asked, I smiled a little at his thoughtfulness.

"Tea." I replied, my cheeks went warm when he kissed my cheek.

"Then I'll get you some." he whispered.

I felt another smile come to my lips when he moved up from the table and went back to the kitchen to make some tea for me. I couldn't begin to think what the other members were going to say when they found out that Itachi and I were a couple, I wondered what Konan was going to think about it when I told her. I figured Konan would be happy for me, she only want the best for me and for me to be truly happy, she wanted me to be with someone that was going to treat me right and appreciate me. I had a pretty strong feeling that she would approve of my and Itachi's relationship, especially when I told her how good he was to me.

I blinked curiously when I saw a bird land on the table, a piece of paper in it's beak. As I stared at it, I could tell it wasn't a normal bird, it was made of clay so that meant that Deidara had sent it to find me. I tilted my head to the side when it dropped the paper on the table, nudging it towards me with it's beak. I reached out hesitantly and took the paper, the bird took off into the air as soon as I opened the paper. I looked down and began reading.

 _Sada,_

 _I beg you to read this, I never got the chance to explain myself and I can't begin to tell you how much I hate myself for that. I never wanted or intended to hurt you, that was the last thing in the world I wanted. I was sent to Konohagakure to gather information about a target of the Akatsuki, I wished I could've told you the truth about that but I wanted to keep you safe, everything I did was to protect you. I never lied to you about anything that wasn't related to the Akatsuki, I just wanted to keep you safe from them. I'm so very sorry for not being honest with you from the start, I hate what's happened between us. I hope you realize that I do love you, you're the first girl I've ever cared for this way, the first one that I would ever put before myself. I can't begin to express that enough, I would die for you Sada. You're more than just a girl to me, you're the love of my life, a work of art. I just hope you can manage to forgive me and we can have a fresh start together, all I want in this world is to have you by my side. I can't go on without you in my life in some way, please Sada if you could just-_

I stopped reading the letter, taking in a slow breath. I didn't think I could manage to finish it, it just felt like the words were so forced and as though he didn't mean a word of anything he'd wrote to me. Maybe I was just bitter and still heartbroken, not able to see since my opinion was biased but he hadn't explained anything. He hadn't explained why he'd left without saying goodbye to me, he hadn't explained why he hadn't even left a note of any kind, he hadn't explained anything that would sway me to forgive him for his abandonment. Why should I forgive him when he didn't have enough decency to face me, he'd wrote a note to me instead of talking to me face to face. It just proved to me that he wasn't serious about anything, I was just some fling.

I let out a sigh and folded the letter, sticking it into the pocket of my pants. I didn't know if I would ever finish reading it but I might one day. For now, I wanted to focus my time on improving my jutsu and spending time with Itachi. I felt a smile come to my lips when I saw him walking across the floor, two mugs in hand. He placed one infront of me before taking the seat next to me, placing a kiss into my hair.

"I hope you like it, I put a little sugar in it since the raspberry was a little bitter." he said kindly, I nodded thankfully.

"Arigato, sugar makes everything taste better." I said quietly.

We ate our food in a comfortable silence, holding hands under the table as we ate. I couldn't get enough of the tea he'd made for me, it was the perfect temperature and had just the right amount of sugar in it. I had a feeling we'd be sharing many more meals together, everything between us was going so smoothly. It was as if we didn't have to force anything, everything came naturally between us, it was like we were born for each other in a way. As cheesy as it sounded, it seemed so true. Now that he was being himself with me, I could see as clear as day what a truly wonderful person he was. He was so kindhearted and one of the gentlest souls I'd ever met in my life, it amazed me that he'd managed to fool all his comrades into believing he was a completely ruthless and calloused individual.

" _Sada, Itachi."_

I lowered the cup from my lips, looking at Itachi, had he heard the same thing that I had? He nodded a little and bowed his head, shutting his eyes. I mimicked his actions, shutting my eyes and squeezed his hand for comfort. I'd never talked to Pein this way before but it seemed like the normal thing here.

" _We will be having a meeting within fifteen minutes."_

" _Hai leader-sama."_ Itachi's voice echoed in my mind.

" _Make sure to bring Sada with you Itachi, this meeting circles around her."_

" _As you wish, leader-sama."_

I opened my eyes after a minute of silence, looking at Itachi. He smiled a little and squeezed my hand before moving to his feet, gathering up our dirty dishes. I moved my braid over my shoulder as he took all the dishes back to the kitchen, getting to my feet. I pushed in our chairs and rocked back and forth on my heels, feeling a little nervous for my first meeting with all the members. Would they all be staring at me, what was I supposed to do, if the meeting was about me then did that mean I'd have to talk infront of everyone? So many questions were racing through my head but I knew I had to show up since Pein had specifically asked for me to be there. There was no getting around it, I'd just have to face this head on with courage.

"Sada." I turned to Itachi when I heard his voice, smiling a little when he pressed his lips to my forehead. "Let's go." he instructed. "Better to be first than last."

I nodded in agreement and took the hand he offered me, following beside him as we exited the dining room. We walked hand in hand down the hallway together, not saying anything to each other while we walked. He could tell that I was nervous, it was all over my face and my body language was practically screaming it as we walked, he was moving his thumb across my hand to comfort me as we walked. I hoped that this wasn't going to send me into a panic attack, this was _almost_ just as bad as my first training session with everyone spectating. I swallowed nervously when we stopped outside of the meeting room, Itachi released my hand.

"Be brave." he whispered, placing a kiss to my forehead.

I felt like I could do just that as long as I had him by my side, I didn't think I could be scared of anything when he was with me, he was my strength when I had none. I followed behind him into the meeting room, Pein and Konan were already seated at the table. Konan stood from the table when she saw me, I felt a wide smile come to my lips and bolted to her.

"Oka-san!" I exclaimed, running right into her. She giggled softly and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Ohayou Sada-chan." she greeted, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "I got something for you." I tilted my head to the side curiously when she reached into the pocket of her cloak, pulling something out. I felt a smile come to my lips when I saw it was a headband of Kuraigakure, how had she managed to get ahold of one? "I had to self carve the symbol off a blank headband but Itachi-san told me how much you'd like one so it was no trouble."

"Arigato Oka-san." I said softly.

I took the headband from her fingers and examined it, smiling again at how perfect the symbol was, she was a genius. I tied the headband around my waist, Konan nodded her approval. I hugged her tightly again, mentally thanking her again for my present. It was almost as though I had a piece of home with me now, it comforted me in a way.

"Itachi." Pein greeted. I moved my face out of Konan's cloak to see Itachi nod, I'd almost forgotten we'd come here for a meeting.

"Leader-sama." he acknowledged, moving into a respectful bow.

"Take your seat." Pein instructed, sounding cold. Itachi moved to a seat, I looked at Konan curiously.

"What do I need to do Oka-san?" I asked curiously, she smiled a little.

"Pein, what shall we have Sada-chan do?" she repeated, I moved to look at the Akatsuki leader.

"She may stand with Itachi since she is his subordinate." he replied, sounding monotone. "Unless you'd rather her be with you."

"Sada-chan?" Konan asked, I felt my cheeks go warm.

"Ano...I'll stand over by Itachi-sama." I said, it felt like my face was on fire.

She nodded and patted my head, I moved out of the hug and went to stand behind Itachi's chair. I folded my hands infront of me as I stood, rocking back and forth on my heels as I waited for the rest of the members to show up for the meeting. I was extremely nervous though, I knew I would be seeing Deidara and that just made my insides turn. I wasn't sure what I would do or should do when I saw him, but I figured I'd just have to pay attention during the meeting, no matter how uncomfortable it made me. Then after the meeting, I could bolt out of the room and avoid him for as long as possible, I just wasn't ready to forgive him for his abandonment.

"Sada." I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Itachi's voice, peaking around the chair at him.

"Hai Itachi-sama?" I asked curiously.

I felt my cheeks go warm when he offered his hand to me, smiling a little to myself. So this was it then, this was going to be the moment that the entire organization would find out we were together. I hoped that Konan would approve, she was after-all my adopted mother. I placed my hand on his, my smile widening when he guided me into his lap, his arm moving around my waist to hold me. I felt my cheeks go warmer when I saw the surprised look on Konan's face, blushing darkly.

"Oh my." she whispered, her orange orbs sparkling. "You two are together?"

"Hai." Itachi agreed, sounding monotone. Konan's lips curved into a smile, her eyes were sparkling in happiness.

"You better take care of her then." she teased, Itachi nodded his head once in agreement.

I was happy to know that Konan approved, she had the widest smile on her face as she watched us. Even though we weren't doing anything intimate together, I supposed she could see how much Itachi cared for me. I looked back at him over my shoulder, wondering if I could see the same thing Konan could, his eyes held none of the warmth I was so used to seeing though. Perhaps it was just something Konan could do since she was my mother. I blushed darkly when Itachi gently squeezed my waist, I took that as a sign to pay attention. I turned my head back to face Konan, relaxing into Itachi's embrace.

We waited for a few more minutes, Kisame entered first, closely followed by Kakuzu and Hidan. Kisame didn't comment on me and Itachi sitting together, more than likely knowing it wouldn't be in his best interest to do so. He had respect for Itachi so I assumed he wouldn't disrespect him by teasing him about us. Kakuzu seemed uninterested, Hidan had a scowl on his face. Zetsu walked in shortly after, Sasori and Deidara bringing up the rear. I felt my stomach do a flip when Deidara caught my eye, his face twisted in anger when he saw Itachi holding me. Once everyone was seated, Pein began speaking.

"Welcome, today we have much to discuss. This next move we're going to make, will determine whether the organization will succeed in our efforts." he started, I bit down on my lower lip nervously. "Recently, Konan has informed me of something that will give us the resources we need, to move onto the next phase of our plans. Konan?"

"Hai, if anyone has any questions than feel free to ask." she said cheerfully, nodding her head. "Sada-chan, would you like to tell everyone or shall I?"

I chewed on my lower-lip nervously, debating on if it should be me that told the entire organization or Konan. I knew that I needed to step up, I didn't need to be afraid of these people, we were all allies and I needed to show a little pride. I was a princess after all, and the first step I needed to take was showing that I wasn't afraid of a little public speaking. If I was going to rule Kuraigakure as the queen, then I was going to have to start somewhere. I raised my red eyes to meet Konan's orange ones, nodding my head in agreement. This was my first step as a princess.

"We will be gaining reinforcements from my home village, Kuraigakure." I said, trying to force my voice louder than normal.

"And how are we to manage that?" Sasori's lazy voice asked, I swallowed the lump in my throat. I took a slow breath, raising my head from the table.

"Through me." I answered, I felt all eyes on me. "I am Hime Nori Tsukiyo Sada no Kuraigakure, heir to the throne."

I forced myself to look around the table, trying to avoid looking at Deidara, all eyes held a combination of shock and surprise. It was as if no one knew what to say, they hadn't been expecting that from shy little introverted me. I wasn't done though, I had a right to my village and I was going to achieve in my efforts to claim it.

"I am technically the youngest of three heirs to the throne, demo, the throne is rightfully mine. The corruption in the village will continue if I am not crowned as Joo." I continued. "With becoming the leader, my people will be loyal to the cause of Akatsuki."

"Hime huh?" Kisame teased. "Didn't know we had an Akatsuki no Hime." I felt a blush come to my cheeks at his joking tone of voice, I'd made my point so it was time to turn it over to Pein.

"We will infiltrate Kuraigakure and help Sada claim the throne, once this is done we will be able to move to the next phase easily." Pein said in a cold voice.

"First we'll need to figure out where that is." the white side of Zetsu commented, Pein nodded in agreement.

"Sada?"

"I'm drawn to the darkness." I replied, Itachi squeezed my waist lovingly. "I can find the village with no problem, it will need to be at night though. It calls out to me more in the darkness."

"Then we have a plan." Pein said, sounding emotionless. "Itachi, Kisame, Sada. You will all leave in a months time to seek out the village. Once found, return to the headquarters and we will all infiltrate together. Our first mission as an organization."

"Hai leader-sama." Kisame and Itachi said in agreement, I nodded.

"Ano..." I felt my cheeks go warm again when all heads turned in my direction. "We may have a problem."

"What is it dear?" Konan asked, sounding concerned. I played with my fingers nervously as I thought about everything from my past, trying to find the right words.

"Since I'm sorta a deserter I guess, I may be killed on sight if they see me." I admitted.

"That comes to my next point." Pein said, I turned my head in his direction. "Konan and I have thoroughly discussed this, we have come to the mutual decision that a week before your departure, you will be initiated into the Akatsuki."

I felt my stomach do a flip, my heart swelled with joy at the words. They thought I was ready, after only three months as a subordinate, I was ready to join the Akatsuki as a member. 3 weeks from now was my birthday too, had Konan really convinced Pein into letting my join on my fourteenth birthday? I smiled widely at the thought, feeling extremely proud of my accomplishment. I was curious what the initiation would be but I wouldn't think on it too much on it for now, I was just happy that I was being accepted into the ranks.

Since I would become a member, that would mean I'd get the Akatsuki uniform, bamboo hat and all. The shinobi of Kuraigakure wouldn't know who I was and I was sure that since the other hidden villages didn't know anything about Akatsuki, my home village wouldn't know anything either. They would think we were merely travelers that accidentally stumbled across the gate, they wouldn't think twice about who we were and what we were doing there.

"You mean to say that this fuckin kid-" Kakuzu slapped a hand over Hidan's mouth, stopping his words.

"Enough, Hidan." he growled.

"Damn we really wanted to eat her." the black side of Zetsu grumbled. Pein paid no mind to the comments, not looking phased in the slightest by the interruptions.

"Of course only training can prove so much." Konan commented, I moved my eyes to her.

"Before the initiation, we'll be sending you on your first mission Sada." Pein said coldly, I nodded a little. "Itachi and Kisame will accompany you."

"Hai leader-sama." Itachi said, sounding monotone.

"You will depart in three days." Pein stated, I bit down on my lower lip.

My first mission as a subordinate, I was nervous to put it simply. This mission was sort of a test to see if I was _actually_ ready to become a member in the organization, I couldn't screw this up. If I did, I wouldn't be able to join and I would be back at square one. I was curious what sort of mission it would be but I was sure that Itachi would look out for me during it, he wasn't going to let anything happen to me. I was determined to prove myself, Konan had talked Pein into allowing me to join so I had to live up to the expectations they had for me. I wasn't going to let her down, that wasn't an option. She was the mother I'd always wanted and I was determined to make her proud of me.

"Kakuzu, we'll need you out for the next three weeks before the initiation." Pein's voice snapped me back to reality, I looked at the masked man curiously. "We need to boost our income, that will be your mission."

"Damn it." Hidan exclaimed, looking pissed off. "I'm not gonna drag my fuckin ass around to collect all those damn bounties this greedy mother fucker-"

"Hidan shut up." Kakuzu interrupted, glaring darkly in the Jashin worshiper's direction. "We leave today."

"Oh hell no." Hidan raged. Kakuzu rose from his seat, bowing in the direction of Pein. He took a few steps and grabbed Hidan by the hair, pulling him from his seat and dragged him across the floor. "Oi let go you mother fucker!"

"Enough." Kakuzu grumbled.

On that notion, Kakuzu continued dragging Hidan across the floor and out the doorway of the meeting room despite Hidan's protests and fits of rage. I could've giggled at the sight but I decided against it, that didn't seem like the most professional thing to do in this situation. I looked up through my bangs, the blood rushed to my cheeks when I saw the bright blue eye lock with my red ones.

'Deidara.'

He was staring at me, his visible eye locked on my face. I wasn't sure what he was thinking about, I couldn't place the look on his face. I was usually so good at reading people but in this moment, I couldn't read him the way I usually could. There were so many emotions reflecting in his eye, I didn't know which one was the dominant emotion though. Anger, sadness, guilt, betrayal, hatred, loathing...heartbreak. I moved my eyes away from him, focusing my attention on the table. I couldn't look at him anymore, I didn't think I would ever be able to look at him in the same way I used to.

"Dismissed."

I blinked dumbly and raised my head from the table, the meeting was over. I played with my fingers, moving out of Itachi's lap. Pein exited the room, Konan by his side, I guessed they had other things to discuss in private. Itachi rose from his seat, placing his hand on my shoulder. My eyes met his, I could see a tint of warmth hidden in them as he stared at me.

"Let's go, training." he instructed, sounding emotionless.

I nodded a little and followed behind him as he walked across the room, exiting the meeting room. I was happy to be out of everyone's sight, I needed to focus on my mission and not worry about what everyone else thought of me. The biggest question in my head though, was what Deidara wanted from me. His eye had never left me throughout the whole meeting, perhaps...I needed to talk to him and clear the air. It would be awkward if I just went through my life here avoiding him and never speaking to him, I needed to get this over with.

"Are you ready?" I tilted my head up to look at Itachi, nodding my head. For now though, it was time for training.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for me to update guys! I hope it was worth the wait and things are going to start getting really interesting. The next chapter will be Sada's first mission with Itachi and Kisame!  
**


	21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

* * *

 _HI NO KUNI, KONOHAGAKURE_

I never thought in a million years I would be here again, staring at the village from a distance. I was sure Itachi hadn't thought he'd be back here so soon either, especially since it had only been three months since the last time he'd been here. I wondered if the other shinobi would be on the lookout for the Akatsuki since they'd infiltrated the village not that long ago. I wasn't sure why Pein had ordered us to come here but I wouldn't question it, if our mission was here then that's how it was going to be. It was early morning, darkness blanketed the village, this would be the perfect time for us to get into Konoha without being noticed. I looked up through my bangs and jumped down from the tree, landing on my feet. I straightened up and walked towards the Akatsuki duo, taking my place between them.

"Well hime?" Kisame asked, I nodded once.

"Only two guards on watch." I replied. "Would you like me to take care of them Itachi-sama?"

"Hai." he replied in his usual cool tone.

I nodded again and phased through the dirt, coming out on the dirt path close to the village gate. I took a slow breath and walked towards the gate slowly, making handsigns as I walked. I wasn't surprised when the guards turned their heads in my direction, they had sensed my chakra, I hadn't tried to hide it. There was no use, this would all be over in a matter of seconds.

"Who goes there!" one shouted, I completed the last seal.

 _'Darkness Style: Black Slumber.'_

The guards wobbled on their feet for a minute as my jutsu affected them, finally flopping to the ground unconscious. My jutsu had put them into a sleep, a sleep that couldn't be disturbed until it wore off, we wouldn't have any interference from them now. I turned my head when I heard the bell singing in the air, Itachi and Kisame walking down the dirt road towards me. I wouldn't admit it out loud but I was nervous about this mission, what if we ran into the Jounin that knew about Itachi's alliance with Akatsuki? They'd easily be able to recognize Kisame from his same-hada, I hoped this mission would be easier than I thought. Hopefully there wouldn't be any complications.

"Let's get some breakfast." Itachi instructed, Kisame nodded agreeing.

"Hai, some hot tea sounds nice." he commented.

I followed behind them, pulling my hood up over my head as I walked. I liked the idea of being able to stop at my house, maybe get some of my weapons and other things that matter to me. I wondered if Itachi would object to that, I'd really like to have my sais back. I turned my head to Itachi, playing with my fingers nervously.

"Ano...Itachi-sama." I said softly. His head turned in my direction, his red Sharingan eyes found mine from under his bamboo hat. "Would it be alright...if I stopped by my old house here? I have some things I'd like to retrieve." He didn't say anything for a minute as his eyes held mine, finally, he nodded his head in agreement.

"Be careful." he asked of me, I nodded in agreement.

"Hai Itachi-sama, arigato."

I bowed my head a little, a small smile came to my lips when he placed his hand on my head, stroking the top of it once. I felt my cheeks go warm and focused chakra into my feet, hopping up onto a roof. I ran across the roofs of homes, hopping from one to another as I made my way across the village. Finally, I jumped down onto the porch of my former home. I smiled a little and lifted the rug infront of my door, taking the key in hand. I inserted it into the lock, the door clicked instantly. I took a slow breath and opened the door, stepping inside. Everything still looked the same as I had left it, it didn't look like anyone had been here since I'd been taken away. I was surprised by that, I was sure Sasuke would have at least come here and try to investigate a little.

I shrugged off the thought and walked further into the house, going to my old bedroom. I could feel the memories rushing at me as I walked in, I tried to ignore them as best I could and focus on what I'd come here to do. I went through my closet, managing to find a decent sized bag and moved up from the floor. I walked over to my dresser, grabbing the picture frame. The picture was of my old team, the one we had taken after I had joined team 7. I wanted to have some reminders of my old life, perhaps that was the reason I'd wanted this so desperately. I placed the picture in my bag, grabbing the other one off my dresser. The second picture, was of me and the sand siblings. We'd all become rather close after Deidara had left me and they were great friends, Gaara being my best friend out of the three of them. I hoped I would be able to see them again one day, I really missed them. I placed the second picture in my bag, my eyes falling on the third picture on my dresser, the one of Deidara and I.

I felt the hurt feeling I was so used to wash over me at the sight of the picture, the abandonment reminding me of the heartbreak. I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying my hardest not to cry. As much as I tried to hold it in though, the tears began slipping down my cheeks. I hated what he'd done to me, why couldn't I be angry at him for what he'd done instead of sad? I didn't understand why I couldn't just turn this depression into rage. As much as I was hurt though, I grabbed the picture nonetheless and shoved it into my bag.

I walked across the room to my weapon's chest, opening it up. I felt a smile come to my lips at the sight of my sais, I'd missed this weapon of mine. I grabbed the belt that held my sais and tied it around my hips, putting the sais in the holders. I grabbed a few basic tools, some extra kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, smoke bombs etc, putting them into my bag as well. All I needed to do now was see if there was anything else I needed and I could head out to meet up with my superiors. I looked around my room, trying to see if there was anything else worth grabbing here. I would've loved to take my paintings with me but I definitely didn't have room in this bag for that, I needed to travel as light as possible. I had plenty of clothes at the headquarters thanks to Konan, I guessed I was done here.

I walked out of my bedroom after throwing my bag over my shoulder and head to the exit, knowing I would never see this place again. Oddly enough, I was fine with it. I knew I didn't belong here, I'd never fit in here, Konohagakure just wasn't the place for me and I accepted that. I was from Kuraigakure after all, that was the only place I could truly belong. However, the Akatsuki headquarters was my home now, the only place that was remotely similar to where I'd been born. I knew in my heart, that was where I was meant to be. The only thing that Konoha had for me now, was memories. I exited the house and head down the street, walking slowly. I could see the sun beginning to rise in the distance, I needed to speed things up if I wanted to have breakfast before the mission began.

I walked down the street a little faster, pulling my hood tighter over my head. I couldn't afford to be recognized here, it would only complicate things more if someone managed to see me. As nice as it would be to see Sasuke, I knew I couldn't afford to jeopardize my mission. I licked my lips in thought, finally coming across Itachi and Kisame.

"Ah there you are." Kisame teased, I took the seat next to Itachi.

"I saved some food for you." he said, sounding monotone. "Eat." I nodded in agreement, taking the food he'd offered me. I ate slowly, feeling relieved to have some food in my stomach. We'd been traveling nonstop for days, I was happy to finally have a break from it. "We are here to observe the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's chakra. Sources have made it known he will be leaving Konoha soon with Jiriya."

"So that's what we're risking our cover for, an observation." Kisame grumbled, not sounding pleased.

"Konohagakure has also been scouring the lands, trying to find Sada." Itachi said coolly, I blinked curiously.

I was shocked to know that Konoha was trying to find me, I hadn't thought they cared since they'd only sent one Anbu squad after me in the beginning. It'd been three months since I'd been at the Akatsuki and they hadn't given up searching for me, I hadn't thought they would continue looking for me after that first Anbu squad had been annihilated. I guessed they just thought it was the right thing to do, this sure was surprising.

"Ah, so this is so they know that she's loyal to us now." Kisame chuckled.

"Precisely." Itachi agreed, I tilted my head to the side.

"Ano...so leader-sama wants me to be seen?" I guessed, Itachi nodded once.

"Once the shinobi of Konohagakure discontinue their search, it will allow us to move undetected for a while." Itachi said, I nodded understanding.

Did I need to be seen by certain people though or did it matter if it was just civilians? I figured I'd need to be seen by some of the Jounin that knew me, so that more than likely meant I'd be seeing Kakashi and the other Jounin he hung around with. I felt small smile come to my lips when Itachi placed his hand on mine, my cheeks went warm at the contact. Kisame hadn't so much as commented on my relationship the with elder Uchiha, he didn't seem phased in the slightest by it. Nothing had changed between them, Kisame and Itachi's relationship seemed more like a friendship than a professional relationship. They seemed to enjoy each other's company and knew how each other worked, it was quite odd to see them that way.

Kisame had however, changed his attitude towards me. When we'd first met he'd been brutal towards me, had thrown me around like a rag doll and hadn't been the nicest person to put it simply. Over the past few months he'd gotten used to me being around and didn't seem to mind my presence. Now, he was far more civil towards me and used a teasing tone of voice when he talked to me. He seemed to be quite the friendly person underneath his shark like appearance, what did I know though? Maybe he was just being friendly towards me since Itachi and I were together. I'd probably never know the truth but it didn't bother me being around him, I knew Itachi would protect me if Kisame crossed a line.

"We're going."

Itachi's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I rose from my seat, following behind him as he exited the shop, Kisame bringing up the rear. I walked in between them as we ventured down the road, unsure of where Naruto would be at this time. It was early so there wasn't the chance that he was training with the rest of the team, I knew Kakashi probably wouldn't be doing training this early so that really didn't give me any leads on where he'd be. I hoped I wouldn't run into Sasuke though, I didn't want him to try to fight Itachi again like the last time. I knew Itachi could easily defeat him, I was more worried about Sasuke getting hurt. I didn't want anything to happen to him, despite everything that had happened I still cared about him and didn't want him injured.

We started across the bridge, I blinked curiously when I saw Sakura and Naruto down below. They were sitting by the river together, this was quite the odd sight. They looked as though they were immersed in a deep conversation, Sakura was crying and Naruto was holding onto her hands, looking as if he was trying to comfort her. I was curious what had taken place while I was away but I tried not to think too much about it, I wasn't part of this place anymore.

"Heh, hasn't improved much." Kisame huffed.

"His chakra has risen slightly." Itachi stated, sounding cold. "Not surprising."

"Having Jiriya as a sensei could account for that." Kisame commented, Itachi nodded once.

"We'll go now." Itachi ordered.

I took a step back when I saw some figures jump onto the bridge, Genin squad leaders; Kurenai, Asuma, Kakashi, and Gai. Standing with them as well was Anko, the proctor for the second Exam, Tenzo, Kotestu, and Izumo. This was just like before when Itachi and Kisame infiltrated, the same people were all here other than the few extras.

"Didn't think you'd show your faces here again." Asuma said, his cigarette between his lips.

"You won't be taking Naruto." Kakashi stated, Kisame grunted softly.

"Quite the welcoming party." the shark man chortled, sounding amused.

"We'll be taking your asses into custody." Anko said, pointing her finger in our direction. I moved my hood off my head, all the Jounin's eyes fell on me.

"Sada." Kurenai whispered, I nodded once. "Get away from them."

I moved out from between Itachi and Kisame, standing infront of the Sharingan user protectively, they weren't going to hurt him if I could stop them. I got into a fighting stance, I was ready to defend him from any and all of the attacks that were thrown his way. I wouldn't allow him to get a single scratch.

"Sada is loyal to us now." Itachi spoke, sounding emotionless. "The girl is loyal to Akatsuki."

"Would you like me to take care of them Itachi-sama?" I asked quietly.

"Hai." I quickly made some handsigns as the Jounin ran towards us, focusing my chakra, I figured it'd be a good idea to use a little extra.

 _'Darkness Style: Black Slumber.'_

Not even seconds later, they all tumbled to the ground unconscious. I blinked dumbly, that had seriously been way too easy. Was my jutsu just that powerful or was it just that I'd grown that much stronger since I'd been taken from Konohagakure? I looked back over my shoulder at the Akatsuki duo, Kisame grunted softly.

"Seems like you've improved hime." he mused, I blinked curiously.

"Ano..."

"It seems it is nearly impossible for other shinobi to fight against your darkness style." Itachi added, sounding monotone.

"Demo, Kisame-san can." I whispered. "And you."

"Even we would be subject to your genjutsu." Itachi said, I blinked dumbly.

"More me than you." Kisame chortled. "With your Sharingan you could fight against it."

"However true that is, Sada's darkness is considerably more powerful than all the known elements." Itachi stated, I tilted my head to the side curiously. "Let's go, our mission is complete."

"Kakashi-sensei!"

I turned in the direction of the voice, Sakura and Naruto. This wasn't turning out the way I'd imagined the mission going, they'd seen me now. Now that they had seen me, I didn't know what was going to happen. Sakura had quickly bent down to check on the other Jounin, Naruto's eyes widened when he saw me standing there.

"Sada." Naruto said, sounding shocked; Sakura moved to her feet and turned to look at me. "First Sasuke, now you!"

"Nani?" I whispered. Tears began rolling down Sakura's cheeks as she stood behind Naruto, I was confused, what had happened to Sasuke. "Nani...where's Sasuke?"

"He...he's gone." Sakura choked, I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"He joined Orochimaru." Naruto admitted.

I felt my heart break in two at the words, Sasuke had betrayed Konoha and joined Orochimaru. How was this possible? Sasuke was never the type to betray his comrades and friends, he couldn't have done this. They were lying, they had to be. This wasn't true, this _couldn't_ be true. As much as I tried to convince myself of that, I knew it was true. The broken look on Sakura's face, the betrayal in Naruto's eyes, that said everything I needed to know. It was _true_ and that meant that, Sasuke was now my enemy.

"This is all your fault!" Naruto screamed, pointing at Itachi. I moved infront of him protectively, he wasn't getting passed me.

"Stand down Naruto." I ordered, narrowing my eyes. "Don't make me fight you."

"Naruto." Sakura whispered, putting a hand on his arm. "Don't, she's not the same...her chakra is enormous now."

"I don't care! She-"

"I can't lose you too!" Sakura cried. Naruto looked lost for words at Sakura's outburst, I looked back at Itachi when he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go." he ordered, I nodded once.

I made some handsigns, one of my portals appearing infront of us after a moment. I held out both my hands to the Akatsuki duo, Itachi took my hand without a second thought. Kisame was hesitant but took my hand nonetheless, I focused my chakra and led them through. We came out through the other portal, outside the village. I released their hands and focused my chakra, my portal jutsu ended.

"Let's head back to the headquarters." Itachi instructed, I tilted my head up to look at him.

"Demo Itachi-sama, if Sasuke is-"

"We can't be worrying about that right now." Itachi interrupted.

"Orochimaru has to be stopped though." I said, my voice desperate. "We have to find him."

"It can't be helped right now hime." Kisame grunted, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"Orochimaru betrayed the Akatsuki, we _will_ find him one day." Itachi stated, sounding emotionless. "Today is not that day."

"Demo Itachi-sama-"

"Sada." I sealed my lips shut when he placed his hand on my head, looking up at him through my bangs. "I understand that Sasuke was your friend, we don't know where Orochimaru's base is. Leader-sama will not stop until he is dead." he said in a serious voice, I nodded my head a little.

"I could find him though." I murmured.

"Eh?" Kisame mumbled, sounding confused. "What do you mean hime?"

"The...the curse mark he gave me." I whispered, rubbing my arm. "It's like I'm connected to him somehow, I've noticed it stings the closer I get to Orochimaru. Sasuke and I talked about it briefly, he has one too. He's not around here demo...I could use it to find him."

Itachi moved his hand over my head, petting my hair in an effort to soothe me. He knew how uncomfortable it made me to talk about Orochimaru but if I could use the dark power to find him, then it was possible the Akatsuki could help me defeat him. Once that was accomplished, the world was one step closer to being a safer place than it was now. And perhaps if Orochimaru was dead, then Sasuke would have no choice but to return to Konohagakure. I didn't want Sasuke to be my enemy, I figured he must have went to Orochimaru to gain power so he could kill Itachi and avenge his fallen family.

I knew what Itachi had done, that he had killed the entire clan other than Sasuke, I'd learned of that in the first moment I'd met him. Itachi and I hadn't discussed it but I guessed it was all part of his secret mission, he must've done it for good reason. Perhaps the Uchiha clan had been corrupt or something of the sort, I didn't know but I also wouldn't ask. Itachi's mission was a secret and I knew I couldn't be sticking my nose where it didn't belong, it was of vital importance and it couldn't be jeopardized, for the sake of the world.

"We'll discuss it with leader-sama, for now we need to head back to Amegakure." Itachi finally said, I nodded in agreement.

I smiled a little when Itachi moved his hand from my head, taking my hand and lacing his fingers through mine. I walked next to him, Kisame coming up beside me as we walked. We were going in a different direction than we'd come, I guessed Itachi didn't feel like it was best to go the same way. Once the other shinobi of Konoha discovered we'd been there, they'd more than likely be sending Anbu after us to try to take us into custody. If I truly was at the level of an Anbu now though, I could defeat them with ease. I didn't want Itachi to have to lift a finger when they arrived, he needed to rest his eyes as much as possible since he'd been using Tsukiyomi during our training sessions again.

"So what do you think this means for you and your Omouto, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked, sounding playful. Itachi made a quite humph noise, I pulled my hood over my head with my free hand.

"It seems as though he's taken my words to heart." he said in a monotone voice. "He's hated and detested me as I told him to, he's taken the next step to defeat me." Kisame chuckled softly under his bamboo hat, seeming amused with Itachi's answer.

"Doubtful that he could defeat you." he chortled. "You're the strongest shinobi I know other than leader-sama." Itachi squeezed my hand once, I took that as a sign that I needed to play along.

"Hai Itachi-sama, Kisame-san is right." I agreed. "He could never defeat you."

"Well, if it comes to a situation like that then I'll have you to back me up then Sada." he said coolly, I felt my cheeks heating up.

"Of course Itachi-sama." I said softly.

We traveled in silence for a few hours, Itachi didn't seem like he was in any rush to get back to the headquarters and Kisame just seemed like he was happy to be out of the headquarters for the first time in months. They hadn't been assigned any missions since they'd come back with me, Pein must've just been more concerned with them training me to be at a certain level. After another few minutes though, I quickly realized why Itachi was in no rush, we were being followed. I could sense the chakra behind us and it was slowly beginning to close in on us. I tilted my head up to look at him, he released my hand and stopped walking.

"Sada, take care of them." he ordered; I nodded once in agreement and began making handsigns.

 _'Darkness Style.'_

* * *

 **Author's Note: So I feel like I didn't do too great on this chapter but I needed to throw it in there, there was only so much I could do with it considering this was around the time that Sasuke had left the village and Tsunade had become Hokage. This is our last glance at Konoha in this story and the remainder will take place with the Akatsuki, in Amegakure but there will be a group mission so I hope you're all excited for that :)  
**


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; SADA'S ROOM_

I looked away from my canvas when I heard a knock on my door, lowering my paintbrush. I tilted my head to the side curiously and went to my door, pushing down the handle and peaking my head out. I felt a smile come to my lips when I saw it was Konan, opening the door wider. My eyes moved to the bag she placed on the ground, wondering what was in it.

"Happy birthday Sada-chan!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. I giggled softly and moved my arms around her waist, hugging her tightly.

"Arigato Oka-san." I whispered, moving my face into her cloak. She giggled and moved one of her arms around me in a hug, patting the top of my head with the other.

"Are you ready for this evening?" she asked. I moved my face out of her cloak and tilted my head up to look at her, wondering what she was talking about.

"For what?" I asked curiously. She rolled her orange eyes towards the ceiling, a small smile on her lips.

"It's the big day." she stated, I blinked dumbly. "Your initiation Sada-chan."

I'd completely forgotten about that, today was the day I would be joining the Akatsuki as a member. I felt my stomach do a flip at the thought, feeling nervous about the initiation. What was the ceremony like? Did I have to do anything special for it? Were all the members going to be there? So many questions were racing through my head, how was I going to get through this without having a panic attack? I took a slow breath, trying to calm down my heart and Konan patted my head again.

"You'll do fine Sada-chan. I just wanted to remind you to be ready for it." she said kindly, I nodded under her hand. "Now then, Itachi-san wanted me to tell you to be in the dining room at seven, the ceremony will be at nine in the meeting room."

"What does he need me for?" I asked curiously, she gigged softly.

"That's not for me to say." she teased, I felt a pout come to my lips. "Now now, don't be like that. I brought a couple things for you by the way." She moved out of the hug and bent down, picking the bag up off the floor. "This is for you." I took the bag she offered me and moved back into my room, going to my bed. She shut the door behind her and came up beside me, her eyes urging me to open it. I opened up the bag, pulling out the first thing I touched, the Akatsuki cloak. "I wanted to be sure you had one, you don't have to wear it all the time if you don't want to, most of the members just prefer it. Once you've been wearing it for so long, it sort of becomes a part of you." I nodded, understanding what she was saying and placed the cloak on the bed. I reached back into the bag, pulling out the bamboo hat. "That is for missions only." she said, I nodded again and placed it on top of the cloak. I pulled out the next item, tilting my head to the side curiously. "The other part of our uniform. There are also legwarmers and pants that go with it, I just got a red shirt since it matched rather well with your eyes."

"Arigato Oka-san." I said quietly, she patted my head.

"You will need to wear that to the initiation tonight." she instructed. I pulled the black pants and white legwarmers out of the bag, placing them on the bed with my red shirt. "There's one more thing in there for you." I reached back into the bag, my hand touched something in the shape of a square. I pulled it out, staring at the box before moving my eyes to Konan. "Happy birthday dear."

I felt a smile come to my lips and opened the box eagerly, my heart swelling with joy. It was another charm for my bracelet, a tiny little tiara, this was one of the best presents I'd ever received. Konan had got this, for _me_. I turned my head in her direction, a wide smile on my lips.

"Arigato Oka-san." I said softly, hugging her around the waist

"You're welcome dear." she whispered, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "Here, let me help you." I moved out of the hug and she took the charm from the box, attaching it to my charm bracelet. "Pein and I wanted you to have something special from us."

"It' beautiful Oka-san." I told her, feeling surprised that this was from Pein as well. "Really."

"I'm glad you like it." she said. "Now I have to be going, get changed into your uniform and go meet Itachi-san."

I nodded in agreement and she walked across the floor, exiting my room and shut the door behind her. I grabbed the bamboo hat off my cloak and swung the cloak over my shoulder, moving across the room. I placed the hat on my dresser and moved the cloak from my shoulder, folding it as neatly as I could. I opened up the empty drawer on the bottom, placing it inside. Now that I'd taken care of that, I needed to change into my uniform. I grabbed the clothes from the bed and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I removed my clothes quickly, trying to be as speedy as I could. It was already around 6:45 so I needed to hurry up so I wouldn't be late. I shimmied into my pants, pulling on the leg warmers after. I slipped my shirt over my head and turned to face my reflection.

Konan must've been a genius or something, the outfit looked rather cute on me to put it simply. My red shirt was in an off shoulders design, fishnets around the top part of my shirt but not exposing anything. The sleeves came to elbow length, fishnets around the end of those and there were fishnets around my stomach. The black pants were made of a comfy material, they weren't baggy on me like my usual pants but they also weren't tight. The white legwarmers and my shinobi sandals completed the outfit, along with my headband tied securely around my waist.

I tilted my head to the side curiously as I stared down my reflection and pulled my hair over my right shoulder, separating it into three layers and began moving the pieces into a loose braid. I tied a hairband around the end when I was finished, sweeping my overly long bangs to the right, looking over myself again. I looked like a completely new person but that's what I was going for, I wasn't the same person as I was when I'd first been brought here. I was being inducted into the organization today so I was no longer a shinobi of any hidden village, I was a shinobi of the Akatsuki.

A small smile came to my lips and I opened the door of the bathroom, exiting and walked the floor of my room. I needed to get to the dining room, I didn't want to be late or have Itachi stuck there waiting for me. I opened the door of my bedroom and head out, shutting the door behind me. I walked down the hallway, trying to keep myself from staring at the ground like I usually would. Confidence, I needed to have confidence in myself that I was growing as a person. I couldn't be a member if I stayed the way I was, I needed to work towards having pride in myself and believing in myself. It was for the best, if I was going to be the queen of Kuraigakure, then I needed to be strong.

I stopped infront of the dining room door, pushing down the handle and opening it. I took a few steps into the doorway, my jaw almost dropping in shock. What was this? All the Akatsuki members were sitting around the table, even Pein and Konan were there, what was going on? Itachi rose from his seat when he saw me, moving around it and coming to my side.

"Itachi-sama?" I questioned, feeling confused.

"Happy birthday." he whispered in a cool voice. I felt my cheeks go warm when he placed a kiss on my forehead, I could feel eyes watching us.

"What is all this?" I asked, feeling confused. If he could've smiled around them I knew he would've, he had a small amount of warmth in his eyes.

"Konan-san and I agreed your birthday needed to be celebrated." he said, sounding monotone. "It's not much but it's the best we could do."

I felt my cheeks burning over this. He had put together a small birthday party for me, the only people I'd ever celebrated my birthday with were Haku and Zabuza. Since I'd been taken away from them, I hadn't celebrated my birthday in years. I couldn't begin to imagine how difficult it had been for him to convince the other Akatsuki members to come to this, well, now that I actually thought about it, I was sure he had help from Konan. Everyone listened to her and if they didn't, they sure listened to Pein. It amazed me that he'd done all this for me, just so I would be able to celebrate a silly little birthday, he was so wonderful.

"Arigato Itachi-sama." I whispered.

I felt my cheeks go even hotter when he took my hand in his, leading me to the table. I could feel Deidara's eye on me as we walked but I tried not to pay attention to that, I was already nervous enough without adding that into the mix. I took the free seat between Itachi and Kisame, Itachi sat down next to me. There was all sorts of food sat out on the table, everything from sukiyaki to dango to sushi, Kisame was glaring at it like it was some kind of joke. I almost smiled when I saw the cake, there was even a candle on it, this had to be Konan's doing.

"Normally I wouldn't cook for everyone." Konan started, her voice sweet as usual. "However, today is a special day. Not only is it Sada's initiation into Akatsuki, it's also her birthday. What do you all have to say?" Silence in the room, I moved my eyes to Konan to see an annoyed look on her face.

"Now." Pein ordered coldly.

"Happy birthday Sada." they all said in unison, the words echoing through the room. I felt my cheeks go warm again and rubbed my arm nervously, my face _had_ to look like a tomato by now.

"Ano...arigato gosaimasu everyone." I mumbled, feeling all the more embarrassed.

"Alright." Konan exclaimed, sounding cheerful. "Dinner first. I made everyone's favorites, there's some raw meat set aside for you Zetsu-"

"Demo we only eat-" the white side started.

"Today you eat what I give you." Konan interrupted, still sounding cheery. I looked up to see Zetsu bow his head, not looking very pleased. "There's a pot of coffee for you Sasori-san, since you can't eat."

"Arigato Konan-san." Sasori mumbled, sounding bored.

"Alright, that seems like all I needed to say." Konan mused. "We still have plenty of time before the ceremony so eat up."

Everyone slowly began filling their plates with Konan's cooking, Sasori's poured himself a cup of coffee while Zetsu chowed down on some type of raw meat. I felt awkward to put it simply, eating here with everyone didn't seem like the type of thing that was normal here, I guessed Konan was determined that I had some what of a 'normal' birthday. We all ate in silence for about twenty minutes, Itachi had his free hand placed on my knee to comfort me, I was still avoiding Deidara's looks as best I could. It was like he couldn't keep his eye off me, every time I looked up, I could see the bright blue eye in my peripheral vision. It was making me all the more nervous about this party but I tried my best not think on it, Konan and Itachi had done this to make my birthday special so I couldn't ruin it.

"Okay, now that everyone has finished." Konan said, I moved my eyes to her. "We're doing presents now." I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, _presents_? "I've already given Sada-chan my and Pein's present so who would like to go first?"

"Oh what the hell." Kakuzu grumbled after a minute of silence. I moved my eyes to him, a bag was passed down the table to me. I felt my cheeks go hot again and dug through the bag, pulling out...bandages? I moved my eyes back to Kakuzu, his jade ones met my red. "They're made of a special material that neutralizes bleeding, wrap it around the life threatening injury and it will save you from death until I can heal it."

"Arigato Kakuzu-san." I mumbled, making a mental note to put it in my weapon's pouch. Kakuzu grunted softly, nodding his head.

"Who's next?" Konan said cheerfully, more silence.

"I got this for ya." Kisame finally said.

I felt a small smile come to my lips when he passed me a rectangular shaped present, unwrapping it slowly. I felt tears roll down my cheeks at the sight of the picture, Kisame placed his hand on my head. I looked up into his beady eyes, feeling more thankful for him than I ever had.

"How?" I whispered, he grinned.

"Found it a long time ago." he replied. "When I heard of Zabuza's death, I went to his base. Found it among his things, been waitin for the right moment to give it to ya."

"Arigato Kisame-san." I said softly, moving my eyes back to the picture.

The picture had been taking before I was a prisoner of Orochimaru, back when I was a subordinate of Zabuza. In the picture Zabuza was standing in the back, Haku and I infront of him. We were holding hands, smiling brightly while Zabuza had his hands on the top of our heads. It was the first picture I'd ever taken and the only reminder of those precious to me that I'd lost. I could stare at it for a thousand years and never get tired of it, it was a piece of my past that was important to me, I could finally see my departed love whenever I wanted now.

"Glad ya like it kid." Kisame said, patting my head.

"It's amazing." I admitted, looking up at him. "I can see Zabuza-sama now whenever I want. You don't know what it means to me." He chuckled softly and patted my head again.

"That was very kind of you Kisame-san." Konan said sweetly. "Who's next?"

"We'll go!" the white side of Zetsu said, sounding enthusiastic.

"Whatever." the black side grumbled.

Zetsu reached inside his cloak, pulling out a package and it was passed across the table to me. I opened the box hesitantly, having no idea what it could be since Zetsu didn't know me that well. I tilted my head to the side curiously as I looked over the contents, looking up at Zetsu.

"Konan-san told us how much you like art." the white said said in a chipper tone.

"Got some calligraphy shit for you." the black side mumbled.

"We hoped you'd enjoy it." the white side added, I nodded in agreement.

"Arigato Zetsu-san." I said quietly.

This would definitely be something I could use for my paintings, I could give them titles now using the calligraphy pens and sign my name to them, I would get a good amount of use out of this gift. I set the box with my other gifts, Konan nodded approvingly.

"Okay, someone else now." Konan instructed, I looked over when Sasori sighed lazily.

"Fine, my turn." he murmured. "I usually don't give things like this away but I have no use for it." He held a scroll out to me from across the table, I took it in my hand. I looked over the scroll, Tamotsu, what was this? "It is a puppet." Sasori said, I looked at him curiously. "I found it many years ago, it is a puppet of Kuraigakure." I blinked dumbly, how had he managed to come across a puppet made by my people? "It was damaged when I found it but has since been repaired. Your people must have a specific technique to use puppets because I've never managed to connect chakra strings to it."

"Arigato Sasori-san." I said, nodding my head.

"If you ever manage to figure out how it works, let me know. I'm quite interested in it." he commented, I nodded again in agreement.

"Alright, who's going next?" Konan asked, Hidan groaned.

"For Jashin's sake, I'll fuckin go." he raged, I almost flinched at the hostility in his voice. "Here, give that to the damn birthday bitch." A box was passed across the table, Konan handed it to me. I lifted the top of the box, looking down at the book. It had the same symbol on the cover as the one that hung from Hidan's neck. "It's the bible of Jashinism." Hidan said, I nodded a little. "If you're ever fuckin interested in giving the damn religion a try."

"Ano...arigato Hidan-san." I mumbled.

"Fuckin hell, that's all you gotta fuckin say. You damn bitch I'll-"

"Enough." Pein roared, slamming his hands onto the table. I flinched back into my chair, Itachi squeezed my knee to comfort me. This was turning out to be quite the memorable birthday.

"I didn't even wanna fuckin be here for this shit." Hidan grumbled, Kakuzu slammed his head down onto the table.

"Shut up baka." he growled, I bit down on my lowerlip nervously.

"Okay." Konan said, clapping her hands. "Almost done. Who wants to go next?"

I swallowed nervously, only Deidara and Itachi were left. I hoped this day wouldn't turn out the way I thought it was going to. I moved my eyes to Deidara when he moved a small package onto the table, I could feel the sweat building up on my palms when he held it out to me from across the table. I raised my hand from the table and reached towards the package, my heart pounding in my chest. I took the package from his fingers and untied the small bow, opening the lid. A barrette, it looked like it had been hand made at that from clay. It was a butterfly, painted a magenta color and had small blue violet crystals on the wings that matched my hair. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked up at him, for the first time in a while meeting his blue eye.

"Ano...you always loved the butterflies hm." he mumbled, I blinked dumbly. "When we went on walks, you always talked about the butterflies hm."

"Hai." I agreed, feeling dumbfounded.

"Ano...I just...I wanted to...make you something beautiful." he said quietly, I nodded a little.

"A-arigato." I murmured, he nodded. I took the barrette from the box and moved it to the top of my side braid, clipping it into my hair and moved my eyes back to him. "D-does it look o-okay?" I stuttered, he nodded immediately.

An awkward silence was in the air as we held each other's gaze, I hadn't expected him to do this for me. He'd had to of been working on this for weeks, it was perfect in every detail, even the crystals on the wings were placed perfectly. I hadn't imagined he would make something like this for me, especially if he'd never cared about me. Maybe I'd been wrong, maybe...he _did_ really love me.

"Itachi-san, you're the only one left." Konan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I moved my eyes from Deidara to Itachi, his onyx eyes meeting my red ones.

"I will give her my present later Konan-san." he said simply.

"Okay, let's have cake then." she said cheerfully, Zetsu grumbled.

"I hate cake." the black side said.

"I don't!" the white side exclaimed, Konan giggled quietly.

"We have to sing first." she added excitedly. There were quiet groans of protest around the table, I felt blood rushing to my cheeks. "Now."

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Sada, happy birthday to you."

I wanted to duck my head during the singing but I forced myself not to, I didn't want Konan to be upset with me or think I didn't appreciate everything she'd done to make my birthday special. Konan moved the cake across the table in front of me, lighting the candle.

"Make a wish Sada-chan." I had no idea what to wish for but I couldn't ruin Konan's fun, she was enjoying herself. So I closed my eyes and thought of the first thing that popped in my head.

'I wish, that I could talk to Haku again...if just for a minute.'

I opened my eyes and blew out the candle, forced clapping echoing in the room, I figured Konan had already planned that out.

"Yay, this has been so fun." Konan exclaimed brightly, clapping her hands happily. "Cake and then everyone will head to the meeting room at nine for the ceremony."

Konan went about cutting the cake, handing the first piece to me, I waited until everyone else had a piece before I began eating. It was so strange for us to all be sitting here, celebrating my birthday like a family but it was nice. I wasn't used to having a family but that's what everyone here seemed like to me, as dysfunctional as we were, we were all each other had in the world. We _were_ a family. After everyone had finished, it was closing in on eight o clock so it gave me plenty of time to get my presents to my room and relax for a bit before heading to the meeting room for my initiation. Konan and Pein rose from their seats, I moved my eyes to her curiously.

"Alright everyone, I hope you enjoyed the party. Be in the meeting room for the ceremony." she instructed. "Remember, no cloaks." She and Pein head out of the dining room together, I turned my head to Itachi when he tapped my knee.

"Do you need help carrying everything?" he asked, sounding emotionless.

I nodded a little, feeling appreciative of his offer to help me. We gathered everything up together and head out of the dining room, down the hallway of the base together. We walked in silence, finally making it to my room after a few minutes. I opened the door of my room, walking across the floor to my bed and placed some of my presents there. Itachi shut the door behind him, mimicking my actions and turned to face me when all the presents were accounted for. I felt my heart skip when I saw the warm look in his eyes and the small smile on his lips, his moved his hand to my face and cupped my cheek.

"I actually have two presents for you." he said softly, I felt my cheeks go warm.

"Okay." I whispered, feeling embarrassed.

"Which one would you like first?" he asked, my cheeks felt so hot.

"Ano...whichever." I mumbled, he chuckled quietly.

I felt my heart skip when he leaned down close to my face and pressed his lips against mine in a soft kiss. I slid my arms around his neck, moving my lips against his as he free arm slipped around my waist. How could anything be better than his kisses, they made me feel lightheaded and like I was walking on air, I was on cloud nine when he kissed me. Whenever his lips were pressed against mine, I could feel everything he felt for me. All the love, commitment, sacrifice, tenderness, everything that screamed how much he cared about me. I would never be able to replace him without someone else, I couldn't afford to lose him to something like death. I opened my eyes when he pulled out of the kiss, his fingertips brushed my cheek.

"That was one." he whispered, staring into my eyes. I leaned into his touch, smiling softly.

"And the other?" I asked quietly.

He moved out of my touch and took both my hands in one of his, moving down on one knee. I tilted my head to the side curiously when he pulled something out of his pocket, popping the top open with his thumb. I couldn't see what was inside the box, he had it facing him so I couldn't begin to imagine what it could be. He smiled softly and said the last words I thought I'd ever hear.

"Hime Nori Tsukiyo Sada no Kuraigakure, will you marry me?" I blinked dumbly, staring at the little diamond ring in the box and moved my red eyes to meet Itachi's onyx ones. I felt a small smile come to my lips and nodded my head once, tears of joy slipping down my cheeks.

"Hai."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Alright so I know the wait was long but here it is. I wanted to do a fun little chapter that would still tie in with the rest of the story, presenting a little more of a light side to the Akatsuki. Please tell me what you thought!**


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

* * *

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; ITACHI'S ROOM_

I looked up at Itachi through my lashes, a small smile on my lips when he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. I had never imagined in my life that I would be engaged to someone, getting married at some point. It was an incredible feeling, even though it wasn't something I'd expected, I was happy. Some people would say it was a little _too_ soon to be engaged to someone but it felt like the right time, Itachi was different than everyone else and I knew deep down that he was right for me. He was the person I needed to be with, the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and that's exactly what I planned to do.

Even though I planned on being with Itachi, I knew that I needed to talk to Deidara. I needed to make things right with him, we needed to be on speaking terms with each other. It would just continue to be awkward if we weren't and I was beginning to feel like he really had cared about me, I needed to make this as right as I could. It probably was a good idea for me to read the rest of that letter he'd wrote me, I needed to know what else he had said in it. I didn't have time for that right now though, it was almost time to head to the meeting room for the ceremony.

"Sada." I met Itachi's eyes, smiling again when he pressed his lips against my cheek. "We need to get going."

"It's already that close?" I asked, feeling surprised. He nodded his head, letting out a soft sigh.

"Unfortunately." he murmured, playing with the end of my braid.

"I wish we had a few more minutes." I admitted, snuggling against him.

"I do too but once this is over, we can spend the whole night together." he said softly. I smiled a little at that, happy that he wanted to spend the entire night with me. I was staying in his room more often than my own, it was almost like we'd moved in together in a weird way.

"Okay. Let's go." I whispered.

I moved up from the bed with him, smiling again when he took my hand in his. We walked across his room together, going to the door. We exited his room silently, I laced my fingers through his as we walked down the hallway towards the meeting room. I could feel my insides turning the closer we got, I wasn't sure what to expect and that made me all the more nervous about the ceremony. The only thing I could do though, was be strong and try to keep my cool. This was important to me and I didn't need to stress myself out over it, this was what I wanted. I wanted to be part of this place, I wanted to help make a positive impact on the world, and I wanted to be here with Itachi. We stopped outside the doorway of the meeting room, Itachi turned to look at me.

"I'll need your headband." he said softly.

I was confused but I nodded nonetheless, I moved my fingers to my waist and untied my headband. I handed it over to him and he placed his hand on my shoulder, guiding me into the room. Everyone was already there except for Pein and Konan, it was even odder to see everyone without their cloaks on but I guessed there was a reason for that. Everyone was seated at the table, it seemed like everyone had an assigned seat. All the members were sitting in the same seat as the first meeting I'd gone to, I'd also noticed before that everyone had a ring on their finger, none of them in the same spot as the everyone else. Perhaps that's how the seating arrangements worked, Pein sat at the head of the table while the rest of the members sat in a spot that coordinated where there ring was on their hand. That would mean that the empty seat at the table would be mine once I became a member, I would be seated at the end of the table next to Kisame and across from Zetsu and Itachi, since Pein sat at the head of the table.

I blinked curiously when I saw another table in the room, a huge stone placed on top of it, that was something that hadn't been in this room the last time there had been a meeting. I pointed in the direction of the table, Itachi shook his head. I guessed it wasn't time to discuss that. He guided me over to the table, moving his arm from around me and walked to the front of the table. He placed my headband on the table in front of Pein's chair before coming back to my side, pulling out the seat next to Zetsu and sat down. I moved down into his lap, leaning my back against his chest. I licked my lips in thought, a small smile coming to my lips when Itachi moved his arm around my waist to hold me, his other arm resting on the chair.

"Didn't think we'd be doing this again." Kisame said from across the table.

"We've needed a new member for a while now." Kakuzu said gruffly.

"I suppose leader-sama was finally able to get the necessary minerals to construct a new ring." Sasori guessed, sounding bored.

"And he said those damn things couldn't be fuckin replaced." Hidan grumbled.

"They usually can't." the white side of Zetsu commented.

"Leader-sama went through a bunch of shit to accomplish it." the black side added.

I rubbed my arm at the comment, hoping that it hadn't been a problem to get one of the rings made for me. I hadn't wanted to be the cause of any issues within the organization, the last thing I wanted was to be a burden. Hidan made a 'tch' noise, not sounding interested in the conversation. Itachi gently squeezed my waist, a kiss was placed on my cheek. I felt my cheeks go warm and rubbed my arm self-consciously, everyone had seen that. I saw Deidara's jaw lock out of the corner of my eye, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Apparently leader-sama found a way to deactivate Orochimaru's ring." Kakuzu was saying.

"How fascinating." Sasori mumbled, running a hand through his red hair. "How could he accomplish that without knowing where he is? And at an unknown distance at that."

"Konnichiwa everyone." Konan's bright voice said. I turned my head, watching as she and Pein entered the room. I rose from Itachi's lap when everyone began moving up from their seats, moving into a bow when everyone else did.

"Let's begin then." Pein said in a cold voice.

I moved out of my bow and stood next to Itachi, unsure of what to do with myself. I watched as Pein went to the head of the table, taking my headband in hand. Konan offered her hand to me, I placed my hand on hers and her hand closed around my smaller one. I moved away from Itachi next to her, Pein stood on the other side of me.

"This way dear."

It was odd to put it simply, we walked in sync with each other towards the other table in the room, stopping infront of it. I stood facing it while Konan stood on one side of me, Pein on the other. I stared down at the stone, tilting my head to the side as I looked at it. It was a map of all the nations, carved into it with the utmost precision. The stone itself looked as though it were old, however perfect of condition it was in. I was curious what it was used for but I guessed I would be figuring that out soon enough. There were also markings on the stone over different hidden villages, x's were carved over them. Two x's were carved over the symbol for Amegakure, one carved over Iwagakure, one over Yugakure, two carved over Konohagakure, one carved over Takigakure, two carved over Kirigakure, and one carved over Sunagakure.

I looked up at Konan, unsure of what I was looking at and she released my hand, her eyes falling behind me. I turned to look at Pein, wondering what I was supposed to be doing and he held a kunai out to me. I hesitantly took the kunai with my right hand, holding it gingerly. The other Akatsuki members moved forward, forming a circle around us. I bit down on my lowerlip nervously, what was happening?

"Usually, this part of the ceremony doesn't take place. However, you're a special case." Pein said coldly. "I know that Kuraigakure moves locations every five years so you're unsure of where it is now." I nodded a little in agreement, the last place I remembered my village being was close to Amegakure, somewhere around the top part of Kawa no Kuni (The Land of Rivers). "As you can see, your village symbol isn't on the map. Carve it in the last place you remember it."

I nodded at the instruction, focusing my chakra into the kunai. I knew the blade itself wouldn't manage to pierce the stone's outer layer so I'd have to use my chakra to help it out. I placed the kunai's blade against the stone at the top of Kawa no Kunai, and slowly moved it, forming my village symbol within a matter of seconds. I moved the blade from the stone and looked at Pein, he nodded his approval. I turned my head in Konan's direction, she looked at it curiously.

"You were so close to Amegakure." she observed, I nodded a little.

"It's where Zabuza-sama found me as a child." I said softly. "This is the village I escaped into."

"I don't understand how we didn't know that." she murmured.

"We were busy during that time with other things Konan." Pein said, sounding emotionless. She nodded in agreement, not saying anything else. "This next part of the ceremony is for you to mark out your home village. As you can see, all the members that have been part of the organization at one point or another, have done so. Now, it is your turn."

I nodded at the instruction and moved the blade back to the stone, hovering over the Kuraigakure symbol. I took a slow breath and focused my chakra again, placing the kunai's blade against the stone. I made one line down the center of it, moving to the other side of the symbol and drew another line through it, making a perfect x.

"The second part is complete." Pein stated in a monotone voice. "The final stage, begins now."

He placed my headband upon the stone in front of me, taking a step back. I looked back over my shoulder to see he and Konan enter the circle together, all eyes focused on me. I had a feeling I knew what this part was, every member's headband had a line going through the village symbol. That in of itself, symbolized their detachment from their village, their loyalty to it gone. Which meant, they had acquired the status of a rogue shinobi and had gained them entrance into the organization of Akatsuki. This was the last part of my initiation, it all came down to this.

I turned my head back to face the stone, my eyes falling on the headband. I stared at the village symbol, finally realizing what made me just like everyone else here. I had been shunned since I'd obtained my powers. I'd been abandoned by my family. I had been hated for my abilities. I had been cast aside like I was nothing. I had been feared for my power. I had been detested for who I was. The people that were supposed to unconditionally accept me for who I was, loathed me. I was not loved by any of the people, they had been told to see me like I was nothing but a monster. This was what made me like everyone here, I was an outcast just as they were.

I could feel anger bubbling up inside me, rage flowing through my veins at the thoughts I knew were facts. I wasn't going to hide from them anymore, I was going to take back what was rightfully mine. I would rule Kuraigakure like I was born to do and nothing was going to stand in my way. The first step to becoming the rightful queen of my village, started right now. I gripped the kunai tightly and focused my chakra, slamming the blade against the metal piece of my headband. I drug the kunai across the metal, making a perfect line, horizontally running through my village symbol. I could hear the cheering behind me as I finished, it seemed rather odd that it was allowed, I hadn't thought something like that would be encouraged but I guessed this was a different type of circumstance.

"Well done Sada."

I turned to face Pein, he stepped up towards me and took my headband from the stone. I could've smiled when he patted my head, it was the extremely out of character thing for him to do but he knew how much Konan cared for me. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness as she looked at me, she had the look of a proud mother on her face.

"Your initiation is complete, you are now a member of Akatsuki." he stated, holding my headband out to me. I took it from his fingers and tied it around my waist, looking up into his purple eyes. "This, belongs to you now."

He was holding out a ring to me, it was official, I was now an Akatsuki member. The jewel on the ring was a blue-violet color that matched with my hair, it had the kanji for Yoru (night) on it. I took the ring from his fingers, he pointed to my left little finger. I felt a blush come to my cheeks and slid the ring on my pinky finger, next to my engagement ring.

"Do not lose it, no matter what." he ordered, sounding cold. "I will not manage to replace another ring." I nodded in agreement, I would protect the ring with my life. "The ceremony is over, dismissed."

Pein left the room immediately, I guessed he had some more work to do or something along those lines. Zetsu nodded his head once to me and walked out as well, he talked to himself as he walked about needing to find a snack. Kakuzu left the room, mumbling something about the organizations funds. Hidan chased after him, cursing him about his sin of money and other Jashinism beliefs. Sasori and Kisame left the room together, Sasori saying how he needed another pot of coffee and Kisame agreeing to make him some (I remembered that Kisame made some of the best coffee I'd ever had). Deidara's visible eye found mine, he smiled a little before walking out of the room, my stomach did a flip.

Konan moved up to me, placing her arms around me. I hugged her tightly, burying my face in her shirt. This day had been one of the best days of my life, I had become part of something great, something that was going to change the world for the better. I had celebrated my birthday with a dysfunctional family, Itachi had proposed to me, and I'd become an official member in the organization, the last member to be recruited. Things were definitely looking up for me, the next thing on the list was finding Kuraigakure.

"Oh Sada-chan, I'm so proud of you." Konan murmured, squeezing me once. I moved my face out of her shirt, smiling up at her.

"Arigato Oka-san."

"You're going to help us accomplish great things dear." she told me.

I was so happy to hear the encouragement in her voice, the trust she had in me. It made me feel all the more connected to Konan as her daughter, she had so much faith in me and that was more than I could ever ask for. I was definitely ready to show her that she was right to believe in me the way she did.

"I'll do my best." I swore, a smile came to her lips.

"I know you will." she agreed, patting my head. "I've got some things to do so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oyasumi Oka-san." I whispered, squeezing her.

"Oyasumi dear one."

She moved out of the hug and crossed the floor of the room, exiting the meeting room without another word. I felt a smile come to my lips when Itachi moved to my side, placing his arms around me. I felt my cheeks go warm when he pressed his lips to my forehead, my heart could've melted right there if it were possible.

"Shall we head to bed?" he asked, I nodded in agreement.

I was starting to get tired, I didn't think the ceremony had lasted long but today had been a long day. I was exhausted and I just wanted to lay down, I probably wouldn't fall asleep yet but just relaxing sounded nice. Itachi took my hand in his and we walked out of the meeting room together, heading in the direction of my room. I needed to grab some clothes to sleep in, perhaps I needed to just move all my things into Itachi's room. Then again, his room was about the size of mine so unless we were able to get a larger room, moving all my things to his would've made the room a little cramped. Maybe I would mention it to Konan at some point, see if there were any larger unoccupied rooms in the base that we could move into together. It would be nice to wake up in his arms everyday, even though that was already happening now.

I pushed down the handle, opening the door of my room and walking inside. I went to my dresser, pulling open a drawer and rummaged through my things, trying to find some night clothes and clothes for tomorrow. I pulled a few things into my arms and looked over at Itachi, he was looking over the pictures I'd set up on my bookcase. I wondered what he thought about Sasuke, we hadn't really talked about that before and I was sure he didn't hate his younger brother. It had to be part of his mission or something, deceiving him the way he had. I moved to his side, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Those are my friends from Sunagakure." I told him, pointing to the picture of myself with the Suna siblings. "The red head is my best friend."

"You two look rather close." he said, I nodded in agreement.

"Hai, we understand each other." I admitted. "He was alone like I was, in the same position, he had no one. I hope I helped him see he didn't have to be alone anymore, I tried to be there for him."

"I'm sure you did." he whispered, placing a kiss on my temple. "You're very special."

"He was special to me, he had one of the Bijuu sealed inside him." I said quietly. "He wasn't special because of that though, it was because he could look in my eyes and feel what I felt. We were connected in a weird way, like we knew the deepest parts of each other's soul."

"You have a talent for reading people." he stated, his arm moved around my waist.

"Sometimes." I mumbled. "I couldn't read you."

"Because I couldn't let you." he teased, chuckling softly. I pouted my lip cutely, giggling when he poked my side. "And what about them, the others with you?"

"They didn't really trust Gaara around me." I told him. "Because of the Shukaku, but I knew he'd never hurt me. I became friends with them too after they realized I wasn't going anywhere. They could see how he was changing because he had a friend, I think it meant a lot to them."

"And your old team?" he pressed. A sigh passed through my lips as I looked over the picture, my eyes falling on Sasuke.

"Sasuke was my friend too. Sakura didn't like me because he spent all his free time with me, she had this huge crush on him." I explained, holding the clothes to my chest. "Naruto tried to be nice to me but he just didn't quite get me because I'm..."

"You're different." he finished, I nodded a little.

"Before Sasuke, there was Haku." I turned my eyes to the last picture, smiling a little at the sight of my beloved. "He was...everything to me...my first friend...my first love." I whispered, trying not to choke on my words.

"He's the one that died." he guessed, I nodded sadly.

"Hai." I agreed.

I could feel so much as I stared into Haku's beautiful brown eyes, I didn't know which emotion was the most prominent. I was happy to be able to see him, I was sad for losing him, I was angry that his life had been stolen so young, and I was heartbroken that I'd never be able to see him again in the flesh. His death had been an accident, Kakashi hadn't meant to kill Haku, he'd been going for Zabuza. I had never blamed him for that but now that I was actually thinking about it, I _did_ blame him. I had never imagined that we would be reunited just for me to lose him not even twenty-four hours later. It broke my heart, tore it to shreds just thinking about it. I knew it was healthy to mourn for a lost loved one but holding onto my depression for him wasn't doing me any favors. I didn't think I'd ever manage to let go of Haku.

"I'm...gomen...that you lost him." Itachi apologized, his voice sounding concerned.

"It's not your fault." I told him. "It was...just how it was supposed to happen I guess."

"You don't sound so sure of that." he observed, I nodded a little.

"Part of me blames Kakashi for it." I admitted, squeezing the clothes tighter to my chest. "It was his jutsu that killed him."

"Nande?" he asked, I bit down on my lower lip.

I'd never talked about this to anyone, not even to Gaara or Deidara. The only people that knew how it had went down were the people that had been there for it, Sasuke and I had never talked about my feelings for Haku. He'd never known how much I'd loved him, he'd only known that I'd cared about him. I needed to talk about this though, it was slowly eating me up on the inside and I knew it would be in my best interest to have someone to lean on. Itachi had been there for me during some of my difficult moments and I knew he would be more than willing to be there for me through this.

"Haku...he sacrificed himself to save Zabuza-sama." I whispered, tears rolled down my cheeks. "Kakashi was aiming an attack for Zabuza-sama and Haku got in the way to save him, it crushed me. I was able to hold him one last time before he died from his injuries, got to hear his voice...I still remember what it sounds like."

"Gomenasai Sada."

I looked up into Itachi's onyx eyes, I was almost able to smile when I saw how concerned he was for me. The warmth in his eyes could almost take away my pain and heartbreak, I wished it could but that wasn't possible. I'd lost the first person in the world that had been precious to me and that wasn't something I could just get over, it was something I'd never be able to get over but I knew it was possible to heal. That was what he was helping me do, heal from the pain.

"Arigato, for being here for me." I whispered. I felt my cheeks warm up when the smallest smile came to his lips, his smile was so beautiful. It made me forget all my worries and fears, this _had_ to be what true love felt like.

"You're more than welcome my love." he murmured, placing a kiss into my hair. "Do you have everything you need?"

I nodded in agreement, I knew we wouldn't be having training for the next week since our mission was coming up. Itachi needed to rest as much as possible since the Mangekyou Sharingan took a good amount of his strength, he needed to be on his A game for this mission. He took my free hand and we walked out of my room together, heading down the hallway in the direction of his room. We walked in a comfortable silence, the warmth in his eyes was clearly visible to me as we walked, he continued to squeeze my hand lovingly at random.

Once we made it back to his room, I went in the bathroom to change my clothes while he went about getting the bed ready for us. I stared down my reflection after I'd changed, noting how much my eyes were sparkling. It was all because of him, I knew that for a fact, he made me feel so whole and complete, I'd never met a man like him before in my entire life. Perhaps it was his maturity and age, or maybe that was just the kind of person he was, I wouldn't know. I felt a smile come to my lips and my eyes moved to the barrette in my hair, my smile faltering.

'Deidara.'

I needed to talk to him, try to understand what had happened. There was no way in the world that I would leave Itachi for Deidara, but I hoped we could manage to be friends. He had been good to me back when we were in Konohagakure together, we'd always had the most amazing conversations about art and I greatly missed that. There were plenty of instances that he'd been a great friend to me, even though he'd been my boyfriend, and I would've liked to have that friendship back. I'd made up my mind, I would seek him out and talk to him before I left for my mission. I needed to gather my courage though so it wouldn't be tomorrow but I was determined to do it, I was going to step up and become who I was supposed to be. The next step of my evolution would be, facing fears.

I smiled a little at the thought and exited the bathroom, moving onto the bed next to Itachi. I snuggled up next to him and he moved his arms around me to hold me, I leaned my head against his shoulder. No more serious thinking for tonight, for now, it was game time.

"Wanna play a game of never ending questions?" I asked, Itachi smiled.

"First question, favorite color?" I rolled my eyes, of course that had to be the first one.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry about the lame ending, just thought it'd be kinda cute. School has seriously been draining me of time so I'm sorry this update took so long.**


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; KONAN'S ROOM_

I raised my hand to the door, knocking lightly. Today was the day, it was four days before our departure for our mission and I was ready to face Deidara. I was going to talk to him and figure out everything that had happened, and I was going to face this head on with courage. I wasn't going to hide anymore, I was going to be brave and have confidence in myself. First though, I needed to know where his room was. So I'd come to Konan, hoping that she would help me out by telling me where I could find him. I was standing in the hallway for maybe fifteen seconds before the door opened, Konan smiled widely when she saw me.

"Ohayou Sada-chan." she greeted. I giggled softly and moved closer to her, hugging her tightly around the waist.

"Ohayou Oka-san." I said quietly. She hugged me tightly, placing on kiss on the top of my head.

"How are you dear?"

"Okay." I responded, looking up at her. She smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Nani Oka-san?"

"Are you ever going to tell me about you and Itachi-san?" she joked, I felt my cheeks go warm at her teasing tone. "Sada-chan?"

"Okay Oka-san." I agreed. I moved out of the hug and stepped inside her room, shutting the door behind me. I walked over to the bed and took a seat, she sat next to me, a big smile on her face. "Ano...what do you want to know?"

"Everything." she exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "How did this even start?"

"Ano...I think whenever he saved me from Hidan-san." I pondered, thinking back.

"What happened?" she pressed, I played with my fingers nervously.

"Ano...it was when you had to leave for your first mission since I came here." I started, she nodded a little.

"That was about four months ago." she observed. "The one that was almost a week."

"Hai. It was the first time I'd run into someone and he saved me, he put his hand on my head." I admitted, blushing darkly at the memory. "It stood out to me."

"And then." she pressed.

"Ano, the day before my first training session with him, he touched my hair."

"And then."

"Ano, and after my training he stroked my head until I fell asleep."

"And then!"

She wanted me to get to the good part, the first kiss part. It made me nervous at the idea of talking about it but I knew that I would rather tell Konan about it than anyone else, she was my mother and I couldn't keep her in the dark about this. I hadn't told her anything up until this point of our relationship but she'd been so busy that I'd rarely seen her. I needed to know her opinion about it, she seemed accepting of my and Itachi's relationship but I wanted her honest opinion on everything. I knew she would never sugarcoat anything when it came to me, she loved me as though I were _actually_ her daughter and she'd be completely honest with me.

"Tell me Sada-chan." she pleaded, I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Ano...it was a while after before anything drastic happened." I started, pushing my bangs off to the side. "Itachi-sama was in pain so I used my jutsu to heal him, and then he just kissed me out of nowhere."

She squealed quietly, I felt my cheeks heating up again at how excited she was. I'd never thought I'd be getting a reaction like that out of Konan but she was acting like a teenage girl right now, I never imagined I'd ever be able to talk to another woman like this until I'd met her. She was the perfect mother in every aspect, I wondered if she would be willing to tell me about her relationship with Pein one day.

"So what happened after that?" she asked, sounding excited.

"Well, Kisame-san was there so we didn't do anything when he came back. I ate dinner with them and then left to go back to my room, he followed me and asked if we could talk the next day." I explained, my cheeks felt so hot. "We did and he...ano...t-told me t-that h-h-he l-loved me."

"Awe!" Konan cooed, smiling brightly. "I'm so happy for you Sada-chan. Is he good to you?"

"Very." I agreed, smiling a little. "He actually...proposed to me."

"Nani?" she exclaimed, sounding surprised.

I lifted my left hand, showing her my engagement ring. I blinked dumbly when I saw tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, I'd never seen Konan cry before. Was she sad? Had I said something wrong? What could I do to help her feel better? I didn't want her to be sad, it broke my heart to see her crying. I'd never wanted to cause her any pain, she was my mother and I loved her. I could feel pain running through me at the sight, I moved my hand away from her face.

"Oka-san?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side. "Are you okay?"

"Hai Sada-chan."

"Nande...are you crying?" I asked, feeling confused.

"I'm so happy Sada-chan, it feels like you're growing up so fast." she murmured, wiping at her tears. "I haven't cried tears of joy in such a long time."

I felt the depression creeping up on me, disappear at her words. She was happy for me, she wasn't crying out of sadness, she was proud of me and how far I'd come since I'd been brought here. I felt my heart swell with joy at the look in her eyes, the happiness and pride, she was the best mother I could've ever asked for and the _only_ one I would ever want. I wished I could've been born to her and been with her my whole life, I didn't know how I'd managed to go through life without her.

"As long he's good to you, I approve." she said, I smiled brightly.

"He really is." I agreed. "He's really sweet to me."

"I would've never imagined he had a sweet side." she admitted, I felt my smile widen.

"It's pretty far in him but somehow, I found it." I giggled, she nodded a little.

"Well good, I'm glad he's treating you like the hime you are." she teased, the blood rushed to my cheeks. "I'll stop being nosy now though, would you like to do something? We could paint if you like."

"Actually Oka-san, I needed a favor." I said softly, my nerves were coming back.

"Anything dear."

"Ano...I wanted to talk to Deidara." I whispered, a surprised look came to her face.

"Deidara...you're sure?" she pressed, I nodded once.

"Hai...it won't be good if we don't get along and I want to clear the air." I told her.

The look on her face told me she understood, I could see that she was worried for me though. From the many talks we'd had, before she knew that Deidara was the boyfriend I was constantly upset over, I'd been a mess. I had constantly cried to her every day about it, I'd been crushed over his abandonment and I knew she didn't want me to go through any of that pain again. I was finally healing again since he'd come into my life again and I knew that Konan didn't want me to fall back into that black abyss again. I needed to do what was best for me and I knew that this was it, I needed to talk to Deidara and get on speaking terms.

"Alright dear, I'll show you where his room is. Would you like me to stay for your conversation?" she asked, I shook my head.

"No, I think this is something I need to do on my own." I whispered, she nodded understanding. "I need to face this, like I would have to do for my people if I was Joo. I need to be confident in myself." She smiled a little, she had so much pride in her eyes as she looked in my eyes.

"I never thought this day would come, that you would have so much confidence." she said, I felt my cheeks go warm again.

"I'm nervous but I know what I have to do." I said softly.

"Alright, let's go then."

We moved up from Konan's bed and crossed her room to the door, walking into the hallway. We head side by side down the hallway together, I made sure to make a mental map in my head so I would remember where his room was. I could feel my stomach turning at the thought of what was about to happen, my palms felt so sweaty as we walked. I tried to keep my confidence as we walked but I felt like it was draining out of me, I was drawing a blank on what I was going to say to him when I faced him. I'd planned out a nice little speech in my head before going to Konan's room but it had just wiped from my brain. I took a slow breath, trying to think of something that would raise my spirits. Then I remembered what Itachi had said.

" _Itachi?" Itachi looked over at me, smiling softly when he saw the worried look in my eyes. He knew how much of a worrier I was, he could read it on my face as clear as day._

" _What's wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned._

" _I just...needed to talk to you about something." I whispered. He cupped my cheek, red meeting onyx._

" _Alright, tell me what's on your mind." he asked of me, I nodded a little._

" _Well...you know how I told you about Deidara?" He nodding agreeing, I took a slow breath. "I-I think I'm going to t-try talking to him."_

" _About what?" he pressed._

" _I just feel like we need to be on talking terms." I admitted, staring into his eyes._

" _I understand." he said softly. "I just...don't want you getting hurt." I smiled a little at his concern, he really did care for me more than anything else in the world. "Do you know what you're going to say?"_

" _I'm going to tell him that I'm with you." I replied. "He needs to understand how committed I am to being with you."_

" _I agree."_

" _Demo...I'd like to have him as my friend. We got along so well." I sighed, trying to think of some kind of plan. "I don't want him to be angry with you, you didn't know about my and his past." I whispered, he chuckled quietly._

" _Deidara will hate me whether or not I knew about you both." he stated, I blinked dumbly. "I was the one to defeat him and that's why he's in the Akatsuki. He detests me for that reason alone. Adding you into the mix, makes it all the more stronger."_

" _Demo, if he knew the truth-"_

" _He can't know." he interrupted, his tone soft. "I can't jeopardize my mission."_

 _I nodded understanding, I wished it was easier than all this actually was. I didn't like that Deidara was at odds with Itachi but that part was none of my business, it was between them and it needed to stay that way. I couldn't be getting involved in that, I just needed to focus on working things out between myself and Deidara. As nervous as I was, I knew it was the right thing to do._

" _I'm scared." I whispered, his thumb ran over my cheek._

" _There's nothing to be afraid of." he said softly. "You'll be fine."_

" _I just...I don't want him to hate me." I mumbled, I tilted my head to the side curiously when he chuckled._

" _No one could hate you, you're too sweet to be hated." he told me, I felt my cheeks go warm._

" _You're sure?" I pressed, he nodded._

" _Absolutely."_

"Here we are dear." I snapped out my thoughts, tilting my head up to look at Konan. "You'll be fine?" she asked, sounding concerned. I nodded a little, I didn't want her worrying about me too. "Okay, I'll leave you to it then."

"Arigato Oka-san." I whispered.

She patted my head once and head down the opposite end of the hallway, I turned to face the door. I took a slow breath, my heart racing and raised my hand to the door. I knocked softly on the door, waiting patiently for him to answer. I was all the more nervous the longer I waited, the seconds seemed to tick by slower than normal and I could feel the air around me getting heavier. I swallowed nervously when I saw the handle move, the door slowly creaking open. And then...he was there.

I felt my cheeks go warm when his bright blue eye widened in surprise, opening the door further. I could feel my heart racing even faster, he looked exactly the same way as when we'd been in Konoha together. His hair was let down from his usual half ponytail, cascading down his back. His hair was covering the left side of his face, hiding his other eye from view. I felt my cheeks going warmer when I saw his shirt was entirely fishnet, showing off his chest and muscles. I noted there was a mouth on his upper chest as well, sewed up, this couldn't have been more awkward.

"Sada." he whispered, sounding surprised; I swallowed nervously.

"Gomen...i-if I'm b-bothering you-"

"No." he interrupted, shaking his head. "I'm not busy hm."

"Can...ano...I-I mean...t-talk?" I stuttered, he nodded immediately.

"Yeah hm." he agreed.

He opened the door wider to allow me to step inside. I could feel my body shaking but stepped inside his room nonetheless, looking around. His room was a complete disaster to put it simply, it was a total mess. Everything was completely disorganized and disheveled, I couldn't begin to understand how he could find anything in his room but it was like the apartment he'd had in Konoha, it reminded me of the past in a way. I turned to face him when the door shut, blushing darkly at the look on his face.

"Ano...here, would you like to sit down hm?"

He scrambled across the room to the couch, gathering up all the things covering it and threw them on the bed. He stood by the couch, motioning with his hand for me to sit. I bit down on my lip and moved to the couch, taking a seat. He sat next to me, I played with my fingers nervously. I wasn't sure what to say but I knew I needed to start this conversation some how, I took a slow breath.

"Ano...I just..figured we needed to talk." I whispered, moving my hand to play with the end of my braid.

"Of course hm." he agreed, I wasn't sure what to say next.

"Arigato...for the barrette." Well, that hadn't been what I'd wanted to say but I guessed it was a start.

"You're welcome hm. I tried to make it perfect hm." he responded, I nodded a little. "I hoped you'd like it hm."

"I do." I agreed. More silence filled the room, I wasn't sure I could look him in the eye but I needed to try. I glanced up, his blue eye was already on me, finding my eyes. "I just...figured we should talk about everything." I repeated, he nodded. There was more silence, I still didn't have any idea what to say to get this started.

"Sada." I blinked curiously when he placed his hand on mine, squeezing it gently. "I love you hm. I never wanted to hurt you."

"You didn't tell me goodbye." I whispered, moving out of his touch.

"I...I was afraid hm." he said, the hurt look was visible on his face. "I...I didn't want to see you cry."

"It would've hurt less than what you did." I said softly, rubbing my arm nervously.

"Gomen." he apologized.

He didn't seem like he knew what else to say, it felt like he thought I was trying to hurt him. That wasn't the case, I didn't want to hurt him, even though I blamed him for what had happened, I didn't want to say that to him. I wanted to just clear the air and not be awkward around him anymore, and I didn't want him to think I hated him for what had happened.

"Gomen...I feel like I'm being mean." I whispered, moving my eyes to the couch.

"No hm." I looked up when he touched my shoulder, his eye finding mine. "This is my fault, not yours. I didn't want to hurt you hm. Demo...I did hm." he said, sounding upset.

"I'd just...like to be friends again." I admitted, he blinked dumbly.

"Friends hm?" he repeated, I nodded. "Demo...nani...about us hm?" I lowered my eyes, rubbing my arm again.

"I'm with Itachi-sama." I said softly.

I swallowed nervously when he didn't say anything for a few minutes, unsure of what to do with myself. Maybe I just needed to leave and let him think about everything, I shouldn't have expected a response. Especially since this was the first real conversation we'd had in months, maybe I'd done this a little too soon. It would probably be the best idea for me to leave.

"Ano...gomen...I'll go." I mumbled, moving up from the couch.

"No!" His fingers closed around my wrist, stopping me from moving and I turned to face him. "Don't hm."

"I just-"

"Please Sada." he asked. I nodded a little and sunk back onto the couch, his hand around my wrist loosening slightly. "Please...I love you. I need you hm."

"Gomen." I repeated, my heart felt so heavy in my chest. "Demo...I-I can't be with you."

I could literally _see_ my words crush his soul, the heartbroken look on his face. I hated doing this, I didn't want to hurt him. Even though he'd hurt me, it wasn't the right thing to do and I was a kindhearted person, the last thing in the world I wanted was to hurt someone's feelings. I couldn't lie to him though, I wasn't going to. Being honest with people was the best thing for them, even if the honesty hurt in the end, I wasn't going to lie about my feelings.

"I...I forgive you for leaving." I whispered. "Demo...you hurt me and I can't go through that again."

"I swear I won't hurt you again hm." he said desperately. "Please, I need you more than anything else in the world hm."

"I-I can't." I choked.

I could feel my heart breaking at the sight of him, it was as if I was able to feel his pain as my own. I couldn't do this to Itachi though, I loved him and wanted to marry him one day. As much as I cared for Deidara, it wasn't the love I felt for Itachi. I thought it had been at one point, I had thought Deidara was the right person for me but he just wasn't. He was more of a friend to me and I had accepted that, I just hoped that Deidara would be able to accept it too. I bit down on my lip when I saw the tears roll down his visible cheek, not knowing what else I could say that may help the situation.

"Deidara...please don't hate me." I pleaded, more tears rolled down his cheek.

"How could I hate you hm?" he asked, his voice almost cracking. "I love you."

"I care about you, very much." I whispered. "You're precious to me."

"And you are to me hm." he agreed.

"I just...you need to understand...I love him." I mumbled.

I could see the anger flash through his eye, I took that as a sign that I _definitely_ needed to leave. I didn't need to be around him while he was angry, I _had_ to get out of here. I managed to slip my wrist out of his grip and quickly scurried across the room, out the door. I shut the door behind me and bowed my head, walking down the hallway slowly. That hadn't went even _close_ to what I hoped it would, I didn't feel like we would ever be on speaking terms with each other after that conversation. I sighed quietly and took a turn down another hallway, walking in the direction of Itachi's room. I needed his support right now, I was so upset that we couldn't be friends. I bowed my head, playing with my braid as I thought over the conversation. Could I have done anything differently, could I have worded things better, if I hadn't been so nervous then I could've explained things in greater detail.

"Sada matte hm!" I stopped when I heard Deidara's voice, turning around to face him. "Please don't do this." he whispered, I blinked dumbly. "We have something special hm."

"Deidara, I can't-"

My eyes widened when his lips crashed down on mine, moving against mine desperately. Panic consumed me, I was overwhelmed by it. My heart felt like it had stopped in my chest and I couldn't breathe, my chest felt like it was being crushed. I could feel my legs shaking under me, I was barely able to keep myself from collapsing. I pushed against his chest, trying to get him to back up from me but his hands immediately moved to my hips, holding me in place. He turned us, shoving my back against the wall as he continued moving his lips against mine, I shoved against him harder. His body was pressed against mine, his hands rubbing my hips. He pulled out of the kiss, our noses touching as he stared down into my eyes.

"I love you so much hm." he whispered, I felt tears roll down my cheeks.

"Please, let me go." I pleaded.

"You have to know how much I love you hm." he said desperately. "Let me show you."

"No." I cried. "Stop."

He was blocking my path, he wouldn't let go of me, I felt a panic attack coming on when he pressed his lips back against mine. My heart was racing, I could feel my body shaking, it was so hard to breathe, I felt like I was suffocating. His hand slid up my side, his lips moved from mine to my neck, I couldn't get the words out. My breathing was slowly turning into quiet sobs as he pressed kisses against my skin, I pushed harder against him, trying with all my might to get him to back off.

"Stop!" I begged.

"Let her go."


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; ITACHI'S ROOM_

I looked away from my easel when I heard a knock at the door, my eyes finding Itachi's. He sighed softly and moved up from the couch to answer the door, I turned my attention back to my painting. I was trying to paint something beautiful for Konan, I knew how much she loved Pein even though she'd never told me about it, so I'd decided on painting a portrait of them together. I was sure she'd love it once I was finished, I just had a few more minor details to add to it and once it was dry, I'd be able to give it to her. I could just imagine them sitting together and cuddling, she looked at him with the utmost devotion and I could even manage to see the same thing when he looked at her. So I'd painted a picture of them outside, sitting on a blanket together, staring up at the stars. I couldn't imagine what Pein's smile looked like so I'd added some warmth into his eyes while Konan had a soft smile on her lips, his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. I didn't need anyone to tell me how in love they were, I could just see it as plain as day.

"Sasori-san." I turned around when I heard Itachi's voice, looking at the red head in the doorway.

"Gomen for disturbing you." Sasori mumbled, not looking very awake. "I know you leave for your mission in the morning."

"What can I do for you?" Itachi asked, sounding monotone.

"I heard what my annoying brat of a partner did." he started lazily, running a hand through his hair. "He'd like to apologize."

"No apology to me is necessary." Itachi replied, I chewed on my lower lip when Sasori's grey eyes found my red ones.

"To Sada." he finished.

Itachi looked back at me over his shoulder, his eyes asking me if it was okay. I nodded once and placed my paintbrush on my easel, going to Itachi's side. As nervous as it made me to see Deidara after what had happened, I knew that it was the best thing to do. I didn't need to be distracted during the mission tomorrow, we'd be leaving at dawn and more than likely traveling for a few days to find the village. Deidara and I needed to work things out, especially after what had happened the other day.

"Will you be alright?" he asked, sounding emotionless. I nodded in agreement, I didn't want him worrying about me. I'd been a mess after it had happened but I was alright now, Deidara and I needed to come to an understanding.

"I'll be fine." I agreed.

"Alright." Itachi placed a light kiss into my hair, I turned to look at Sasori.

"He's in his room." he said boredly. "Konban wa Itachi-san." Sasori left the doorway, heading down the hallway in the direction I assumed was his room. I looked back up at Itachi, smiling a little to assure him that I was alright.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he feels bad." I whispered, Itachi sighed softly.

"I know I can't stop you." he whispered, sweeping my bangs across my forehead.

"It needs to be taken care of, you didn't really do a good job." I mumbled, he chuckled quietly.

"Can you blame me?" he teased. "I was furious." I giggled softly, nodding my head.

"I know but don't worry now, I've got this." I said, trying to be confident.

"Okay, I trust you." he said kindly, running his fingers down my cheek. "I love you Sada."

"I love you too Itachi."

I pressed my lips to his in a quick kiss and head out of the room, going down the hallway. As I walked, I tried to think of the best way to approach and fix this situation at hand. The other day had been no less than a disaster and I definitely didn't want a repeat of that mess. Everything was rushing back to me though and I couldn't help but think about it.

" _Let her go."_

 _I felt like I could breathe again when I heard Itachi's voice. I managed to slip out of Deidara's grip and ran to him, wrapping my arms around him and hiding my face in his shirt. I felt his arms go around me, holding me close to him, his chin resting on the top of my head._

" _Are you alright?" he murmured, I nodded against his shirt. His hand came up, smoothing my hair as I tilted my head to look at him._

" _Gomen." I apologized, almost choking on my words. His eyes told me that I didn't need to be the one apologizing, he wasn't upset with me in the slightest for what had happened here. He moved his eyes from mine, looking above my head in Deidara's direction._

" _Never, touch her again." he said coldly. I looked back at Deidara over my shoulder, the rage in his visible eye wasn't hard to miss._

" _When are you going to stop fucking up my life hm?" he hollered, I flinched back into the safety of Itachi's arms. "I love her!"_

" _I love her." Itachi retorted, not seeming phased in the slightest. "You will not go near her again."_

" _You're so full of shit hm." Deidara spat._

" _She chose me." Itachi said simply._

" _She was mine!" Deidara raged. "She loved me until you fucked everything up hm. This is all your fault hm."_

" _Sada is marrying me. She loves me, not you." Itachi said coldly._

 _I watched the rage building inside Deidara, the hurt when he realized that what Itachi had said was the truth. He'd seen the ring on my finger when he'd grabbed my wrist back in his room, it wasn't hard to miss and he was realizing how serious I was now about everything I'd said._

" _Fuck you Uchiha hm." he swore. "That girl is the love of my life and I'm not giving her up hm."_

" _Sada has made her choice to be with me, fighting me will not change that." Itachi said, sounding emotionless._

" _I'll kill you hm!"_

" _Stop." I whispered. Deidara blinked, his blue eye finding my red ones. "Please...Deidara gomenasai, demo...I do love Itachi. I want him...please stop this."_

 _I could see the rage drain out of him, replaced with pain and grief, the hurt look on his face was almost unbearable to see. I couldn't lie about my feelings though, I wanted to be with Itachi and I hoped he would accept it now. He needed to see the truth that I couldn't be with him, that what I wanted was right here. I truly wanted with all my heart to have Deidara in my life as a friend, he meant so much to me and I didn't want to let go of the connection we shared. But if he couldn't accept what I wanted, then I knew I would have no choice but to do just that._

" _Gomen...I don't want to hurt you." I continued. "I want to be in your life...as a friend...please."_

 _He stared straight into my eyes for a moment, I watched the tears roll down his visible cheek before he turned on his heel and head down the opposite end of the hallway, back in the direction of his room. I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned to look at Itachi, he moved his hand and cupped my cheek. I leaned into his touch willingly, happy that he'd come along to help me. He hadn't handled the situation in the way I would've liked but it was over for now, perhaps all Deidara needed was some time to think everything over. I wasn't sure if we'd be able to be friends after this but I truly hoped we could._

" _Come on, let's get you back to my room." Itachi murmured, I nodded in agreement. I hoped this would all work out._

I stopped infront of the door to Deidara's room, taking in a slow breath. I hoped he would accept my offer of friendship and we could put the past behind us, I really missed his company. He was a great person to be around and I enjoyed spending time with him, I just wanted the awkwardness out of the way so we could get back to where we used to be... _if_ he would be my friend. I took in another breath and lightly knocked on the door, it swung open instantly as if he'd been waiting on me. Deidara's eye found mine, I felt my cheeks going warm at his stare.

"Konban wa." I greeted, he nodded a little.

"Konban wa, come in hm." I nodded and stepped inside his room, shutting the door behind me. I took a seat on the couch next to him, trying to calm my nerves down. I hoped this was going to go well. "I just wanted to...apologize hm." he started, sounding nervous. "I just...feel so bad about what I did and I don't want you to hate me hm. And-"

"It's okay." I whispered. "I understand."

"It wasn't right of me hm." he mumbled, pushing his bangs out of his face.

"You were upset." I acknowledged. "You weren't thinking clearly."

"Gomen Sada." he whispered, I nodded.

"I forgive you." I told him.

"I don't deserve it hm. I made an ass out of myself hm." he said quietly. I hesitantly reached out and placed my hand on his, smiling a little.

"It's alright." I replied, my tone soft. I watched as a look of relief washed over him, he placed his other hand on top of mine, I giggled softly when I felt the tongue from his hand-mouth lick my hand affectionately. "So...do you want to be friends?" He nodded instantly, looking even more relieved that I wanted him to be in my life after the other days events.

"It'd make me really happy to be your friend hm." he replied, I felt a small smile come to my lips.

"I'm glad, I've missed being around you." I admitted, blushing darkly at the confession.

"Me too hm." he agreed, smiling a little. "Ano...would you like to do something? I could make some sculptures and you could paint them hm."

"I'd like that." I said softly, nodding my head.

"Okay hm." he exclaimed, sounding energetic. "Hold on, I'll get you some paint and stuff hm."

He bounced up from the couch and went across the room, going through some drawers of a dresser. I watched him with a small smile, realizing how much I'd missed being around him. He was really great to spend time with and he always had the best ideas on things to do to stay occupied, I wondered if he would open up a little on his past with me. I didn't know what was the truth and what wasn't so it would be nice if he would tell me the full truth without leaving anything out. He grabbed a small container off the top of the dresser and walked back across the floor, taking a seat on the floor. He began setting things out and I slid off the couch, sitting on the floor as well and crossed my legs.

"Alright, hm. I got you every color I have hm." he said, smiling a little. I nodded appreciatively, taking the paintbrush he offered me. "What would you like to make first hm?"

"Ano..."

"Oh I know hm." he interrupted, putting his hand in the container. I leaned forward curiously, watching in interest as his hand-mouth bit at the clay in the container, stretching it before taking some into it's mouth. He removed his hand from the container, looking up and finding my eyes. "Butterflies hm." I nodded in agreement, butterflies were my favorite.

"I love butterflies." I mumbled, feeling embarrassed.

"I know hm." he said with a grin. I felt my cheeks go warm at his cocky tone and played with my paintbrush, unsure of how I should respond. "Ano...I missed you hm."

"I missed you too." I murmured, pushing my bangs off to the right. "Can you...tell me everything now?" He nodded in agreement, the clay popped out into his hand. I watched in interest as he molded the clay slowly, forming it into a perfect butterfly.

"Well, the reason I was in Konoha was an observation mission hm." he started, placing the butterfly infront of me. I dipped my paintbrush in some blue paint, running it over the left wing carefully. "I was sent to assess the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki hm."

"Naruto." I guessed, he nodded.

"Hai, it was a month long mission hm." he agreed, putting his hand back into the container of clay. "I-I wasn't supposed to mingle with anyone demo I was so bored hm. The day I ran into you, I had decided to get a job to pass time and that's what I was on my way to do before we met hm."

"And then you helped me." I remembered, he nodded.

"You seemed so sad hm." he noted, pulling his hair up into the ponytail I was so used to seeing.

"I was." I admitted, moving to the other wing. "I was thinking about my beloved. He'd died a few months before and I was still really torn up about it."

"Gomenasai." he apologized, I forced a small smile.

"Arigato."

"Was he...the best friend you told me about hm?" he asked hesitantly, I nodded in agreement.

"My fellow subordinate, when I was with Zabuza-sama." I added, trying to remain in control of my emotions. "I loved him very much. We'd just been reunited after many years and I lost him the next day, it broke my heart."

I looked up from the butterfly, finding his eye. I could see how concerned he was for me, the worry was visible in his eye as he stared into mine. I didn't want him worrying about me though, I was going to be alright. Itachi was taking care of me, I had Konan as my mother to watch out for me, and now I had Deidara to talk to again, I had everything I needed right here in Amegakure.

"I'm starting to heal though." I finished, he nodded a little. "I'd like to know about your past, since...well-"

"Yeah hm." he agreed. "Ano, well when I was back in Iwagakure I was part of this group called the Explosion corps. I was thirteen hm."

"So you really were a prodigy." I guessed, he nodded.

"Graduated the Academy at nine hm." he boasted, chuckling quietly. "At that time, I just had the Explosion Release kekkei genkai hm. Demo, I wanted more for my art." I nodded a little, unsure of where he was going with this but I focused my attention on what he was saying. "I sorta, I stole one of the village's kinjutsu so I could be greater hm."

"Kinjutsu?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side.

"It's what gave me these hm." he explained, pointing to one the hand-mouths. I nodded a little, so the hand-mouths he had, weren't a kekkei genkai. He'd stolen the technique so he could become more powerful.

"So what happened?" I asked, feeling all the more curious.

"I left hm." he said simply. "I went around the world as a bomber, people loved my works of art and hired me to blow things up hm."

"What about your family?" I pressed, he sighed softly.

"Everything I told you about that...was true hm." he whispered, bowing his head.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, placing my hand on his. It broke my heart knowing that it had been true, he really had lost his mother and his father had...done awful things to him. I couldn't begin to imagine what that was like for him, watching his mother die at his father's hands. And after her death, his father blaming him for it and continuing with the abuse. It truly hurt my heart knowing he'd went through all that alone. He looked up into my eyes, I smiled a little, trying to show him that I was here for him.

"Gomenasai Dei." I whispered, he smiled a little.

"It's okay hm." he responded, perking up a little. "I know Oka-san would be proud of me hm. I've come far." I nodded in agreement, moving back to painting my butterfly.

"So how did you join Akatsuki?" I asked curiously. He groaned softly and began molding something else, not seeming very pleased.

"Uchiha." he grumbled.

"Nani?" He groaned again.

"Akatsuki heard about me and were interested in what I could do hm." he started, sounding bitter. "I was fourteen and was just enjoying doing my own thing hm. They found me and asked me to join, I refused."

"And then?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"I battled Uchiha." he mumbled. "The terms were they'd leave me alone if I won hm. If I lost, I had to join hm."

"And you lost." I whispered, he nodded.

"His damn Sharingan hm." he huffed, placing a small clay panda infront of me. I dipped my paintbrush in some black paint, going about working on the panda. "How did you get here hm?"

"My curiosity." I giggled, he smiled a little at that.

"You're always too nosy hm." he teased, I rolled my eyes at that.

"Being curious is harmless usually." I joked. "Demo...it wasn't then."

"So what happened hm?" he pressed, I sighed quietly.

"Sasuke and I were going to get breakfast when I first saw them." I started, tilting my head to the side to look at the panda. "Then, he had to go talk to our sensei so I went for a walk. I was probably an official Chunin for an hour before I was taken away."

"And hm?" he asked, I furrowed my brow in concentration.

"I saw them at the river, battling against some of the Jounin. Kisame-san and Itachi-sama won obviously and I found out they were after Naruto." I responded. "I'd noticed Itachi-sama had Sharingan so I went to find Sasuke and tell him about it. I was confused since I'd heard about the Uchiha massacre, I'd thought Sasuke was the only one left so I'd hoped he could shed some light on the situation. When I told him, Sasuke got really cold about it and said we had to help Naruto so that's what we went to do. Then, they saw my kekkei genkai."

"That's why they were interested in you then hm." he guessed, I nodded in agreement.

"When they found out I was a shinobi of Kuraigakure, that made all the difference in my stay here." I finished the panda, smiling again when Deidara placed a rabbit infront of me. "Leader-sama believed I would be a good asset for Akatsuki since I'm pretty much the only Kurai shinobi in the world."

"Makes sense hm." he murmured. I nodded, looking up into his eyes. "I wanted to keep you safe from Akatsuki hm. Demo...I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." I agreed. "We can spend time together now whenever we want."

"Yeah hm."

We didn't say anything to each other for the next for minutes, we just focused on making art as the seconds ticked by. I was having a good time, catching up and talking had been nice, finally coming to an understanding. It was closing in on the night though and as much as I would've enjoyed staying, I knew that I needed to get some rest before tomorrow's mission. I put down my paintbrush and looked up at Deidara, smiling a little.

"I'm glad we got to do this." I said quietly.

"Me too." he agreed. "You probably have to go though hm." I nodded, knowing I needed to get some sleep. "Okay, good luck on your mission hm."

"Arigato." I got to my feet and walked over to the door, Deidara right behind me. He opened the door and I stepped out into the hallway, looking back at him over my shoulder. "I'll see you when I get back?" I asked, he nodded.

"I'll be here hm."

I smiled again and head down the hallway in the direction of Itachi's room. I was glad that this had all worked itself out and we were friends now, it felt like the awkwardness was finally out of the way and we had a fresh start. I was excited to see what the future had in store for us but for now, my mission was to find Kuraigakure.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

 _AMEGAKURE, AKATSUKI HEADQUARTERS; MEETING ROOM_

I took my seat at the table with the other members, waiting for Pein and Konan to arrive. Kisame, Itachi, and I had just returned from our mission and we finally knew the location of Kuraigakure. The ball was in our court and it was time to get that ball rolling. Things were about to get highly more interesting in the Akatsuki organization, I knew the next mission would be infiltrating Kuraigakure and seizing the throne. Once that was complete, things were going to speed up when it came to the organizations plans.

"Sada-chan." I looked up from the table, finding Deidara's blue eye. "How was it hm?" he asked, I smiled a little.

"Weird." I said honestly. "Being that close to home was strange, I haven't been there in almost a decade."

"It had a strange feeling." Kisame said gruffly. "Almost like suffocation."

"The darkness does that." I murmured, playing with the end of my braid. "It's as though it knows who the outsiders are."

"That will change once you have the throne." Itachi stated, sounding monotone.

I nodded in agreement, I was nervous about finally going back inside Kuraigakure but I knew it was going to have to happen. This was what was in the best interest of the world, and I wouldn't just stand by and watch while my people were treated cruelly. I hadn't understood as a child how my father treated his subjects but now that I was grown, I knew the truth. He was a heartless man that cared for only two things, power and control. It was up to me to save my people and that's exactly what I planned to do, even if it meant having to end his life.

"How did you know where it was child?" Sasori asked, I moved my eyes to him.

"The darkness is embedded in my chakra." I responded. "It's part of my DNA in a way, it calls out to me. That's how I can find my home, even if it's moved locations."

"Where was it this time?" Kakuzu grumbled, not sounding interested.

"On the border of Mizu no Kuni (The Land of Water), the small island closest to Yumegakure (The Village Hidden Among Dreams)." I replied, Kisame grumbled quietly.

"Didn't like being that close to Kirigakure." he mumbled.

"What was it like there?" the white side of Zetsu asked curiously. I could feel the memory rush back to me.

" _We're almost there." I said softly. Kisame groaned under his bamboo hat, not seeming very pleased._

" _First Konohagakure, now we're in Mizu no Kuni." he complained. "Leader-sama just wants us to get caught."_

" _We won't be caught." Itachi said coolly. "Sada's camouflage jutsu has hidden us from prying eyes." I nodded in agreement, swiping at the bell on the end of my hat. I giggled quietly when it rang out softly, looking at Itachi when he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Now isn't the time for that Sada." I felt my cheeks go warm and nodded under my hat, playing with my fingers._

" _Gomen Itachi-sama." I whispered._

 _He squeezed my shoulder gently before moving it fully around my shoulders as we walked across the water, I scooted closer to him. We were in Mizu no Kuni, trying to find Kuraigakure. The darkness inside me had led me this far, I could feel it twisting and turning inside me the closer we were to the village. I hadn't imagined I would ever intentionally be seeking out my village again but here I was, trying to find my home. Once we managed to find it though, this mission would be complete and we could head back to Amegakure to report to Pein. After that, our first mission as an organization would take place. The mission to seize Kuraigakure and take the throne._

 _I was nervous about becoming Joo, I didn't have a clue how to be a queen or how to lead a village. I was sure that Konan and Pein would give me all the advice I'd need though, as much as I was becoming the queen, I was loyal to the Akatsuki mission of world peace and I would make sure my shinobi would be on that side as well. I needed to lead my people out of their isolation, the darkness was our home but we didn't need to isolate ourselves from the world. Being out in the world on my own had made me realize that, being alone hadn't helped me out in the slightest. Having people around me, watching my back, was what made the difference. I hoped my people would be able to see that and accept what I wanted to do for them, I wanted to make Kuraigakure a better place._

" _Ne, what should we do once we get there?" Kisame asked, I snapped out of my thoughts at his words._

 _I wasn't sure what would be the best course of action, I wouldn't be recognized in this uniform but I also didn't want to chance it. Maybe I could point the gate out to them and let them investigate, I could stay behind and provide cover. Being out in the open probably wasn't the best idea for our mission, it was about stealth and keeping our identities a secret. If I blew my cover then we'd fail the mission._

" _Sada?" Itachi questioned, I wrinkled my nose in thought._

" _I could point out the gate when I see it." I suggested. "It'd probably be best if you investigate without me."_

" _Afraid little one?" Kisame chortled, I shook my head._

" _I just...don't want to risk jeopardizing the mission." I admitted. "If they do happen to recognize me then they'll try to kill all of us."_

" _We can't have that." Kisame commented, I nodded in agreement._

" _I'll hang back and keep watch." I offered._

 _Itachi nodded once in approval, we stepped onto solid ground. I took a few steps away from them and closed my eyes, focusing. Which way was I supposed to go? I inhaled slowly, the darkness inside me was going crazy, we had to be close. I opened my eyes, perhaps I needed the assistance of my darkness. I made some handsigns, focusing my chakra._

 _'Darkness Style: Black Scout.'_

 _A little black being appeared in front of me, it was sort of like a tiny person, no more than a foot tall. It was very shadow like in appearance, no eyes or facial features and black as night. I was sure that this little guy could help me find the gate to Kuraigakure, he was made entirely of darkness so it would call out to him even more than me._

" _Konnichiwa." I whispered kindly. "Can you lead me to Kuraigakure?"_

 _It nodded it's head once and started walking, I followed behind it silently. I knew Itachi and Kisame were on my trail as I followed behind my little scout, seeing Kuraigakure in person was quite an exciting event for outsiders. We walked for a while in silence, perhaps an hour or so, before my scout stopped in it's tracks and pointed in the direction of the village gate. I nodded a little, smiling appreciatively._

" _Arigato." I said softly. I ended the jutsu and looked back at the Akatsuki duo over my shoulder, pointing in the gate's direction. "It's there."_

" _Let's go, Kisame." Itachi said, sounding emotionless._

" _Hai Itachi-san." Kisame agreed._

 _I jumped up into a tree, peering out from under my bamboo hat as they walked in the direction of Kuraigakure. I couldn't see over the village walls but I remembered as clear as day what it looked like in there, black, the only light was the electricity and candles. All the buildings and homes were dark and ominous looking, as threatening as it looked though, it truly wasn't. The only bad thing in the village was my father being in control, he was the one that made the shinobi ruthless and cruel. All the civilians were kind people, loyal, my father had just never wanted to see that. This entire situation was all his fault._

 _I couldn't begin to forgive what my family had done to me, and I didn't plan on it. Even though I was a kind and forgiving person, I wasn't going to forgive and forget when it came to what they'd done. They didn't feel any remorse for what they'd put me through, locking me away like a monster and sentencing me to death. I had forgiven Zabuza for what he'd done to me, I had begun to realize that he probably assumed that I would be able to escape from Orochimaru. When I hadn't, he'd more than likely felt bad for what he'd done to me. Orochimaru though, he hadn't felt bad about the torture he'd put me through so he was also on my list of people to get rid of. For now though, I'd settle with my overthrowing my family._

 _I sat down on the tree-branch, swinging my free leg in the air as I looked around. The village gate was just as tall as I remembered, I wondered if my father had ever ordered a repair on it since the hole in the gate was how I'd managed to escape. If it was still there, it would be a nice memento to visit. I stared down at the ground at the thought of the old man that had helped save my life, hoping that he hadn't died a painful death. He had been kind to me, one of the only people that hadn't cowered at the sight of me, just because I was different from everyone else. He'd known who I was when he'd seen me but that hadn't affected his opinion of me, he'd treated me just as he would've any child. Perhaps...he was still alive. If that was the case, then I would make him my adviser once I was crowned as queen._

 _In a way, it was nice being close to home again. The darkness was comforting to me, it was part of who I was and it helped me feel at peace with myself. I felt like I didn't have a care in the world at this moment, sure the entire mission could go to hell in a hand basket at any point but I wasn't concerned with that right now. Just knowing how close I was to my home, it made me wonder how I would actually feel once I was inside the village gates. It would more than likely feel like the greatest form of serenity a person could experience, I was slightly giddy at the idea of going inside the village soon. Being able to feel that peace inside my broken soul, it would be like a breath of fresh air._

 _I looked up when I heard the bell singing in the air, jumping down from the tree. I landed on all four, quickly straightening up. I stared down the dirt path, watching the figures approaching me slowly, adjusting my bamboo hat. I bowed my head slightly when they were closer, they didn't look injured so I could only assume they hadn't been in a battle. It seemed like they had been successful._

" _Ah, Sada-hime. You waited for us." Kisame said in a teasing tone, I could've rolled my eyes._

" _Was the mission a success Itachi-sama?" I asked, Itachi nodded once._

" _Hai, let's head back to Amegakure." he instructed, sounding emotionless. Kisame and I both nodded, following Itachi into the darkness of the night._

"It was nice in a way." I finally said, snapping out of my thoughts. "Being so close to the darkness."

"Says you." Kisame grumbled. I grimaced, remembering how frightened he'd been when I'd lost control over the curse mark and almost killed him.

"Gomen." I mumbled, rubbing my arm.

Itachi's eyes found mine across the table, they held none of his usual warmth but I knew he was concerned for me. He knew how much I hated what I'd done to Kisame, he knew that I regretted losing control like that and continued blaming myself. I wasn't good at forgiving myself when it came to messing up or making mistakes.

"Konban wa everyone!"

I looked up at the sound of Konan's bright voice, bouncing up from my seat. She smiled widely when she saw me, holding her arms out to me. I quickly moved around the table and bolted into her arms, colliding with her. She giggled softly and hugged me tightly, I returned the hug with a smile.

"Oh Sada-chan, I'm so happy to see you." she exclaimed, pressing her cheek against the top of my head. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too Oka-san." I told her, leaning my head against her cloak.

"Fuckin hell." Hidan grumbled. "Damn women."

"How was the mission?" she asked, ignoring Hidan's comment. "Did Itachi-san take good care of you?" I nodded, my cheeks going warm.

"Hai." I agreed softly. "It was good, Kisame-san wasn't happy about being in Mizu no Kuni though."

"Well he'll just have to deal." she teased, pressing a kiss into my hair. I snuggled against her, happy that I was back here with her. We hadn't been able to spend too much time together lately and I'd missed her company, I wondered if she'd received the painting I'd done for her.

"Did you get my present Oka-san?" I asked, moving my face out of her cloak. Her orange orbs met mine and she nodded once, smiling softly at me.

"It was beautiful dear, arigato." she replied, patting the top of my head.

I looked back over my shoulder when I heard chairs scrape against the floor, everyone was rising from their seats. I took that as a sign that Pein had arrived so I moved out of Konan's arms and returned to my chair, standing in front of it. I moved into a bow when everyone else did, Pein walked across the room to his chair, taking a seat. We all sat down and Pein crossed his arms.

"Welcome." he said coldly. "We are here to discuss the invasion of Kuraigakure. Sada, the location."

"Kuraigakure is now located in Mizu no Kuni, on the island closest to Yumegakure." I replied softly, trying to keep a respectful tone.

"Itachi?" Pein asked, Itachi nodded.

"From our excursion, it looks as though the gate is impenetrable. We'll need an alternate plan to get inside." he said in a monotone voice, Pein nodded once. "Sada's kekkei genkai could get us in, or her portal jutsu. Either one would gain us access to the village."

"What will we need to be on watch for once we invade?" Pein asked, his purple eyes falling on me.

"I don't believe they would've upped security." I said slowly. "Maybe right after I escaped as a child, but more than likely not a decade later. There would more than likely be two guards on watch, the rank would most likely be Anbu."

"Heh, we could dispatch that easily." Kisame chuckled.

"I'd very much like to keep one for a puppet." Sasori commented. "It would be the first Kuraigakure shinobi in my collection." I bit down on my lower lip at that, I wasn't sure I wanted to have to kill any of my people just to take the throne.

"Ano...what about the civilians?" I asked quietly.

"Pein, I'd rather not to harm any of the innocents." Konan added, Pein nodded in acknowledgment to her.

"I agree Konan, harming the civilians won't help win Sada over as Joo." he agreed. "We'll need to avoid that as much as possible."

"Perhaps we should make an announcement when we arrive, warn all civilians to stay inside." Konan pondered. "Or perhaps the Kurai Anbu will once we break in."

"We can only hope." Pein said coldly. "For now, we need to have a plan to take the throne. Sada?"

"I'll have to face my Outo-san." I mumbled, playing with my fingers. "If I defeat him then maybe he'll just step down from the throne."

"And if he doesn't?" Kakuzu grumbled, I sighed softly.

"I'll have to either imprison my family or kill them." I murmured, hoping it didn't come down to that. "I'm not sure how my siblings will react to that, they are in line for the throne before me."

"A little sibling rivalry could be fun." Kisame chortled.

I felt my cheeks go warm at his teasing tone and bowed my head, I didn't really agree with him but I wouldn't admit that out loud. Facing my siblings wasn't going to be fun in the slightest but I wasn't going to have any type of choice, if I was going to take the throne then I couldn't let anything get in my way, including them. Everything would remain the same if either of them had the crown, they had been brainwashed into thinking what my father did was okay and they would just continue to rule the way he did.

"What will you do then dear?" Konan asked. I raised my head from the table, I could feel all eyes focused on me. I took a slow breath and met Konan's eyes, trying to conjure my confidence.

"If they get in my way, then I'll kill them." I stated. I flinched back into my chair when Hidan began laughing maniacally, had he lost his mind?

"So as the Jashin bible states!" he exclaimed, Kakuzu slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up." he grumbled, not sounding amused.

"We leave at midnight." Pein stated, I moved my eyes to him. "Prepare yourself accordingly for this, we have a heated battle in store for us. Taking over a village won't be easy, especially since we'll be facing the strongest known element in the world. Dismissed."

Pein and Konan rose from their seats, walking out of the meeting room together. I moved up from my seat, going around the table to Itachi. I moved into his arms, snuggling my head against his cloak when his arms slipped around my waist. I tilted my head up, meeting his onyx eyes.

"Let's go prepare." he instructed, I nodded in agreement.

"Sada-chan." I looked over, smiling a little when I saw Deidara.

"Hai Dei?"

"Ano...I'll see you in a little bit hm." he said, sounding nervous.

I felt my smile widen and nodded to him, things were still a little weird when he talked to me when Itachi was around but it was going to take us some time to adjust to this change. He was trying though, I knew he still hated Itachi for forcing him into Akatsuki but I wasn't sure he hated him anymore because of me. That in of itself, helped lift a huge weight off my shoulders.

"Okay." I agreed. "Can we maybe fly part of the way there?" He smiled brightly at my suggestion, nodding in agreement.

"Absolutely. I'll bring extra clay for that hm." he said energetically. "What kind of bird would you like me to make hm?" I bit my lip in thought, did it have to be a bird or could it be anything that flew?

"What about a butterfly?" I asked, his grin widened.

"Anything you want hm. I'll go get started." He sped out of the room, I giggled quietly and looked up at Itachi. He raised an eyebrow, I pouted my lower lip cutely. I watched the soft smile come to his lips, he poked my side.

"Not nice." I giggled, he chuckled softly.

"Let's go. Everyone else has head out to get ready, we need to do the same." he said, I nodded a little.

We head out of the room side by side, down the hallways together. I felt another smile come to my lips when he took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. Holding his hand made me feel like I was walking on air, like nothing would manage to put me down, like I would always be safe. I felt my lips curve into a smile at the thought and tilted my head up to look at him, I could see the warmth in his eyes when he looked at me.

"What is it Sada?" he asked, I tilted my head to the side.

"Do you think I'll need to pack anything special?" I replied. "I want to be prepared."

"Perhaps you should pack those bandages Kakuzu gave you for your birthday." he suggested. That seemed like a good idea, better safe than sorry.

"Okay." I agreed.

We stopped by my room and I moved to my weapon's chest (thanks to Konan), popping it open. I went through the chest, grabbing the bandages and placing them in my weapon's pouch. I tilted my head to the side curiously when I came across the scroll that held Tamotsu, taking it in my hand. I looked over the scroll before tucking it in my weapon's pouch. Since I was going home then I could ask another Kurai shinobi how our puppets worked, once I took the throne that is.

"Do you have everything you need?" Itachi asked, I nodded in agreement. "Alright, we need to stop by my room and then we should be ready."

"Okay." I grabbed my bamboo hat and placed it on my head, following Itachi out of the room. I took his hand, smiling to myself. I was ready, the crown would be mine.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

 _MIZU NO KUNI, KURAIGAKURE_

I took a slow breath, staring down the gate of my former home. I was finally here, after all these years of being away, I was home again. I could feel the darkness wash over me as I stood in front of the gate, calming me in a way that no other place had. The darkness inside me was calling out to the village, the village was calling out to me as well. It felt so right to be here again, I couldn't begin to explain how at peace I was in this moment. I knew it couldn't last forever though, I was here to become the queen of the village and I'd have to lead this invasion, I was the strongest member for this mission. My jutsu would definitely be an advantage for the Akatsuki, having a wielder of darkness on their side would most certainly up their chances of victory. However, I wasn't here to try to win. I was here to _succeed_ , I wasn't planning on failing this mission. I was going to give it everything I had and when it came down to the final moment, I was more than determined to come out victorious.

"Are you ready?"

I looked up when I heard Pein's cold voice, nodding my head once. We'd just arrived here but we couldn't waste any time dillydallying, if we weren't on our A-game then the shinobi were going to know we were here before we could make our first move. We needed to keep the element of surprise or things would be a little more complicated.

"What kind of entrance would you prefer leader-sama?" I asked softly. "Something stealthy or something ostentatious?"

"Fuckin ostentatious!" Hidan exclaimed, raising his scythe above his head.

"Shut up Hidan." Kakuzu growled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Be quiet." Konan hissed. "Do you want to draw attention to us?" Hidan grumbled something too quiet for me to hear while Kakuzu continued to glare in his direction.

"If you can get through the gate, perhaps we should give them a warning." Pein finally said, a small smirk on his lips. I nodded in agreement, making some handsigns. Getting through the gate wouldn't be a problem for me, I had the darkness on my side after all.

 _'Darkness Style: Nightmare Monster.'_

I watched in silence as blackness swirled around, a black puddle splashing down on the ground from it. A black form began rising from the puddle, slowly growing in size. A giant black monster stood before us, standing close to twelve feet tall, sinking into a low bow before me. Kuro was tall and muscular, completely black and was sort of like a large teddy bear, without the teddy bear appearance if that makes sense. Imagine a sort of cute monster, one that could rip your arm out of your socket but it looked like something that could give the best hugs. I smiled brightly at my creation, holding my arms out to it.

"Dear, are you sure you should be doing that?" Konan asked, sounding concerned.

"Of course Oka-san." I said simply. "He's a sweetheart, one of my fondest creations. Isn't that right Kuro?"

My monster made a noise in agreement, holding his hand out to me. I hopped up onto his hand, my monster gently lifted me up to his shoulder. I moved over and plopped down on his shoulder, swinging my legs in the air. I watched curiously as Zetsu appeared next to Pein, bowing slightly.

"Well?" Pein asked, sounding monotone.

"Doesn't seem to be any guards on watch right now." the black side of Zetsu responded.

"We believe it's a shift change." the white side said cheerfully.

"This is the perfect time then." Pein said. I looked down at him, awaiting instruction, he nodded his head once to me. I turned my head to Kuro, placing my hand to his cheek to get his attention.

"Are you ready Kuro?" I asked sweetly. My monster nodded his head, I patted his cheek before pointing my finger at the gate. "Take it down."

A loud roar echoed through the air as Kuro swung his leg, the stone gate cracking along the bottom. He hurled his fist at the gate, a loud rumble echoed in the surrounding area, the gate crumbling to pieces. I watched as the stones collided with the earth, making a very noisy racket, the civilians had to of heard the commotion. Hopefully they knew to stay indoors and wouldn't get caught up in the attack. Kuro looked at me, awaiting more instructions. I pointed towards Kuraigakure, we were going in and I _was_ going to take the throne.

"Let's go Kuro, only attack shinobi. Leave the civilians alone." I ordered.

Kuro roared again and I moved to my feet, hopping down from his shoulder into the village. The bell on my hat rang out, as I moved my head around to observe the village. It was beautiful, the moon hung over head in the sky, the stars twinkling brightly. It was our only light here, I hoped that the rest of the Akatsuki would manage to battle in such dim lighting. The rest of the village, was gorgeous. It looked like a dark fairy tale. The tall mysterious cathedral like buildings, beautiful gardens of dark flowers, the weepy looking trees and ponds of dark water; this was my own personal dream, I loved being home again. I couldn't begin to express how much I'd missed it as I looked around, everything here was just perfect to me. I couldn't stand here and admire the village though, I had to get to the castle.

I looked up through my bamboo hat, I could see shinobi approaching us at lightening speed. The entrance hadn't been the stealthiest move to make for us but it'd given plenty of warning to the civilians, there weren't any on the streets and that had been the main goal. These shinobi weren't going to stop me, I was going to face my father and become the rightful leader of this village. I made some handsigns, focusing my chakra.

 _'Darkness Style: Nightmare Minions.'_

More blackness swirled around before splashing into puddles, more monsters like Kumo began forming from the blackness. They weren't nearly as big, perhaps eight feet tall to his twelve, but they were a little more menacing looking than he was. The fact that they had no eyes and razor sharp teeth pulled into a maniacal smile that stretched from ear to ear, claws coming from where their hands should be and skeletal like bodies, I guessed they were a little scary looking to someone that had never seen them. I smirked under my hat as the shinobi skid to a stop, looking unsure of what they were facing. I didn't know the difference between the jutsu of my village and my own, considering I'd had to make all my jutsu on my own, but I guessed they'd never seen anything like my little monsters.

"Attack."

My minions sprung into actions, bounding towards the Kurai shinobi. I looked back over my shoulder, the rest of the organization were approaching me. We'd need some back up though, as powerful as the Akatsuki were, it would be good to have some eyes that new the village best. I knew exactly where we'd need to go first. I turned my head when I heard some screams ring out into the night, it looked as though my minions had won the battle. I looked around at the mutilated bodies, they hadn't left any of the shinobi alive. That's how the darkness was though, ruthless.

"Push further into the village." I ordered. "We have to get to the castle before it's overrun with shinobi."

I waved my hand above the black puddles, more of my creations began rising from them. Within a few seconds we would have an army at my command, having Kuro on our side was definitely an advantage but I needed to get to the prison before anything else. I turned in the direction of the Akatsuki, Kuro standing behind me.

"Where to first hime?" Kisame teased, I tilted my head to look up at him.

"I'm going to find the prison, we need some Kurai shinobi on our side." I replied softly. "My creations will push towards the castle, try to get it clear for me."

"Alright dear, let's move everyone." Konan instructed, following behind Pein.

"I'll go with you." Itachi said, sounding monotone.

I nodded a little and Itachi moved to my side, I turned my head in Deidara's direction, I'd need him to help me break the prisoners out. His explosions were far more powerful than my own, I was sure his would be able to destroy all the bars on the cells. Once that was done, perhaps he could take to the skies so we could have an aerial offense. Speaking of which, I may need some sky offense while we were off at the prison, that seemed like the best thing to do. It would give the rest of the Akatsuki some cover. For now though, I needed to get Deidara's attention.

"Deidara." Deidara stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me, I smiled a little. "I need your help." I told him, he nodded in agreement.

"I got your back hm." he said, sounding eager. He walked over in our direction, shoving one of his hands into the pouch on his side. "What's the plan hm?"

"We need to break into the prison." I responded. "If I can rally the support of the prisoners then it will be in our best interest. Your art can get through steal bars right?" He chuckled quietly, nodding his head.

"My art can destroy anything hm." he said with a cocky tone.

"Okay." I agreed. I made some handsigns, focusing my chakra.

 _'Darkness Style: Swarm of Ravens.'_

I looked up into the air, watching the darkness twist around before it began forming into a mass of black ravens. They looked like normal ravens, other than the larger size and an extra set of eyes but they had a few special little abilities. When they cawed, there were certain wave lengths in the air that would bust glass from the pitch. They could travel at a faster speed than normal ravens and they were able to shoot darkness bolts from their beaks, they'd needed a little more flare than my wolves.

"Attack from the sky. Avoid all civilians." I asked of them.

The swarm of ravens took off, flying across the village. I looked up at Kuro, I needed him to clear a path for us to the prison. I knew it was close to the river and the river was next to the Anbu training building, I knew he'd manage to take on the Anbu with ease. I didn't want to chance revealing my identity so soon into the mission, I wanted to save that for when it was time to face my family.

"Kuro, I need you to make a path to the prison for us." I instructed.

Kuro let out a loud roar, stomping in the direction of the prison. The three of us followed behind him, Deidara setting off explosions as we went. The shinobi approaching us weren't managing well, they couldn't get close. Between Deidara's explosions and Kuro backhanding all that were in our way, we had a clear path. We pressed further into the village, making our way to the prison after a few minutes. I tilted my head up to look at Kuro, he'd need to be a distraction for us.

"Kuro, focus on the Anbu building." I instructed, pointing it out to him. "Don't let any of them follow us in." He roared in agreement, moving in front of the prison entrance. "Let's go." We moved behind Kuro, standing at the entrance. I studied it for a moment, easily realizing we'd need a key to enter. No matter though, my kekkei genkai could get us in if Deidara's explosions couldn't. "Deidara?"

"Got it hm." A couple of large clay spiders scurried out of his hands, moving across the ground and climbing up the door. I watched in amazement as Deidara moved his hand into a handsign, watching what was about to take place. "Katsu!" The explosion echoed in the vacant air, the wind blasting from the power of the explosion. Once the smoke cleared there was a decent sized hole in the door, one that would allow us to enter with ease.

"Let's go." I whispered.

I ducked my head as I went through the hole, entering the prison. I could feel memories rushing back to me as I stood there waiting for the others, my life in here hadn't been a fun time. I could remember the loneliness and the isolation as if it had all taken place just yesterday, I couldn't wait to get out of this place and never had to return to it. However, we needed the support of the people if I was going to take the throne successfully. I didn't want an uprising on my hands, that wouldn't have been the best thing to deal with, especially with everything taking place right now.

I began walking slowly down the dark hallway, making my way to the cells. Deidara and Itachi were at my heels, following behind me silently. I wasn't sure what I could say that would earn the trust of my people but I knew I had to try, things couldn't continue going this way and I was going to put a stop the the abuse my people endured. We finally made it after taking a few turns, I could feel my heart pounding against my rib-cage in anticipation.

"Is this it?" Itachi asked, looking down the hallway. I nodded in agreement, taking a slow breath.

"Deidara, I need you to get some of your art on all the cell bars." I instructed. I looked over to see him nod once, shoving both his hands into the pouches of clay.

"Got it, the prisoners need to stand back hm. Or they could get injured hm." he commented.

I took another slow breath, moving my hand to my bamboo hat and gripping the end of it tightly. I took a few steps into the middle of the room, getting into a position where everyone would manage to see me with ease. I watched as some small clay mice began scurrying across the floor, moving to where they were underneath the cell bars.

"All prisoners step away from your cell doors." I said, forcing my voice to be louder than normal. "We're breaking you out."

I heard the shuffling sound of feet on the floor, waiting for the silence before giving my signal. I moved my hat off my head, domino like explosions began detonating. The room filled with smoke, I heard the clinging of bars hitting the ground and coughing. I raised my head from the floor, watching as prisoners began moving to the holes in their cells, their eyes locking on me.

"I am Hime Nori Tsukiyo Sada no Kuraigakure." I stated, moving my eyes around to observe the prisoners. "My Outo-san is a tyrant that needs to be stopped, I would like your help to claim the throne. I never thought I would be back here after I managed to escape but I couldn't live knowing that I hadn't helped my people. Please, join me and together, we can all have what we deserve. A village of fairness, a village where everyone is accepted as they are, a village filled with honest and hardworking people. Please, help me over throw him."

The prisoners were whispering amongst themselves, they were more than likely unsure that they could trust me. I couldn't blame them though, they'd been through hell in this place and hadn't been show kindness from anyone. If they didn't want to help me, I wouldn't show any hostility, they needed to do what they thought was best for themselves.

"It's been a long time, Sada-hime." I looked in the direction of the voice, my red eyes widening in shock.

"Oyaji." I whispered.

How could this be? How could he still be alive after all this time? It'd been almost a decade since I'd escaped from this place and he was still here, still breathing. I didn't understand how he'd managed to live, especially after helping me escape the way he had. I felt my heart soften when the old man smiled kindly, moving towards me slowly. He was just as I remembered, his white hair pulled back in a low ponytail and his white beard. His eyes were still that crystal blue color, the look of warmth that could see into your soul and know what kind of person you were. He hadn't changed one bit, after all this time.

"I-I thought they k-killed you." I stuttered.

"No child." he said, shaking his head with a small smile. "Merely eternal imprisonment." I felt a smile come to my lips and moved my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"I'm so glad you're alright." I murmured, leaning my head against his shoulder. He placed his hand on top of my head and patted it softly.

"I'm very glad to see you again Sada, I knew you'd be back. And now, you can take your rightful place as Joo." I tilted my head up to look at him, nodding in agreement. "Hime-sama will save us." he announced to the prisoners, I moved out of the hug to survey them all. "Who will help me support her?"

"Hoshi-san, you're sure that we can trust her?" one of the prisoners asked. Oyaji nodded, smiling down at me.

"I'd trust this little one with my life." he stated. I felt a smile come to my face at his tone of confidence, nodding in agreement.

"Once I am crowned, things will change." I declared. "There will be no more death penalties, no more unlawful imprisonment, and we will contribute to making the world a better place for everyone. We will not stay in the darkness. We will venture out and explore new lands, we will ally with other villages, we will show pride in our village and prove who we really are."

"I will stand with you."

"As will I."

"We'll take back the village."

I felt a smile come to my lips at the support of all the prisoners, feeling more than proud of myself for what I'd managed to accomplish here. Not only did the Akatsuki believe in me, so did _my_ people. And now, we would gather reinforcements and storm the castle together.

"Everyone needs to sway others to fight with us, we will storm the castle and take back what is ours." I announced. The cheering echoed throughout the prison, I placed my bamboo hat back on my head. "Let's move." The prisoners began running down the hallway to get to the exit, I turned to look at Itachi and Deidara.

"You did great." Itachi assured, I felt my cheeks go warm at his praise.

"Arigato." I murmured.

"We need to move." Itachi said, sounding monotone. "Help the others with the invasion." I nodded in agreement, turning my head when a hand was placed on my shoulder.

"Hai Oyaji?" I asked, he smiled at me.

"I'm so proud of you." he told me. I felt so proud to hear that from him, he'd been the first person to believe in me before I'd met Haku, I wanted more than anything to prove that his trust in me was valid.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." I responded. I smiled when he placed his hand on top of my head, smoothing my hair once.

"I always knew you'd be back." he said kindly. "You were meant to be our savior."

"And that's what I'm going to do." I stated. "I'd like you to lead our people for me, I have some business to take care of with my family."

"We will support you until the end." he swore.

"Arigato." I whispered. I turned my head back to my allies, taking the hand Itachi offered me. We walked hand in hand down the prison floor, Deidara by my side. "Deidara, can you take to the skies and try to distract as many shinobi as possible?"

"Definitely hm." he agreed. "More witnesses to my art. Sasori no danna is probably yelling the wrong opinion at your people hm." I smiled at that, would he and Sasori ever manage to get along about art?

"Itachi-sama...I hate to ask this because of your eyes demo-"

"I'll do it." he interrupted, squeezing my hand.

"Arigato." I went through the hole in the door, watching as Kuro flung a boulder into the Anbu building. It collided with the building, managing to put a decent sized hole in the wall. I needed him to get me to the castle, while the rest of the Akatsuki got the village clear of shinobi. "Kuro!" The monster turned back to look at me, backhanding five Anbu away. "I need to get to the castle." I told him.

Kuro made a noise in agreement, taking a step towards me. I could've giggled when he scooped me up with his large hand, sitting me on his shoulder. I swung my legs in the air, Kuro walking slowly in the direction of the castle. I watched a large clay bird fly past us, Deidara taking to the sky. I knew Itachi would be alright without backup, he was one of the strongest shinobi I knew. We grew closer to the castle, Kuro kicking away any shinobi that came near us. I bit down on my lower lip, staring at the large double doors.

'This is it.'


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

 _MIZU NO KUNI, KURAIGAKURE; ROYAL CASTLE_

I took a slow breath and jumped down from Kuro's shoulder, landing on all fours. The bell on the end of my hat rang out softly, not as if anyone would manage to hear it in all this racket. There was so much noise in the air that I didn't think anyone could manage to hear anything. Deidara was setting off bombs from the sky and Konan was using her paper techniques from the sky as well, flying around like an angel. While the skies were taken care of, other members of Akatsuki were on the ground, fighting against the enemy shinobi. Sasori had the biggest advantage with his puppet army, I knew his goal was to capture a live shinobi for his human puppet technique. Hidan seemed to be having the most fun out of everyone, slashing through bodies like the were nothing.

Some Kurai shinobi were supporting my cause, fighting along side with the Akatsuki to help me take the throne. As much as I hated having people fight my battles for me, I knew this was the only way I would be able to get close to my family. While the shinobi were busy with my supporters, I would be able to slip inside the castle unnoticed. I knew I wouldn't have been able to get this far without them all so I needed to pick up the pace and get inside. I quickly straightened up and approached the double doors, staring them down from under my bamboo hat.

"Kuro, guard the castle. Let no one enter other than Akatsuki." I ordered, Kuro made a soft grunt in agreement from behind me.

I walked slowly, phasing through the doors easily and coming out the other side. I looked around the long hallway, not surprised that nothing had changed since I'd been away. The floor was lined with the same silk carpet I remembered, the expensive vases filled with flowers on either side of the hallway, the stained glass windows and suits of armor; it was all exactly the same as my childhood. I could feel memories rushing back to me as I stood there but I pushed them to the back of my mind as best I could, walking down the hallway. I wasn't sure where my family would be, perhaps the throne room or the war room. No matter though, I _would_ find them.

I took a turn at the end of the hallway, the pictures. I walked the hallway slowly, my eyes bouncing from picture to picture, studying the Kings and Queens of old. It was odd that I'd never paid attention to this during my childhood, I'd run this hall often as a kid but I'd never paid attention to my ancestors. Some of them had red eyes like mine, I had been the only one born to my parents with red eyes but I could see that it ran in the family as I passed pictures. I even saw a queen that had the same color hair as mine in passing, this was getting more bizarre by the second. I was lost for words at the sight of all this, I'd have to do research on all my ancestors when I had the throne, the castle records would be the perfect place to start.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a picture of my older sister hanging on the wall, tilting my head to the side curiously. She didn't look very old, barely sixteen in the picture. Her long lavender hair was pulled up in some type of fancy braid bun, her hair parted down the middle and hair hanging on both sides of her face, framing it. Her baby blue eyes were shining brightly in the picture, complimenting her ivory skin. She had a soft smile on her lips and was sitting in a chair, her hands folded in her lap. She was wearing a sparkly silver colored dress, the dress hugging her body and it had no sleeves, she had on some elbow length gloves to match. I blinked dumbly when I saw the plaque underneath the picture, leaning closer to read it.

 _We honor Hime Nori Midori Ren no Kuraigakure, in life and in death. A child, sister and fiance. May you fly high to the heavens, into the arms of our forefathers. You will be greatly missed in Kuraigakure. A leader gone too soon._

'She's dead.'

I wasn't sure what to feel as I stared at the picture, should I feel remorse for my sister's passing or should I be at peace? I didn't know what would be the proper protocol for this situation, I had never known nor heard of her death. I guessed that I was relieved in a way because that meant I had one less person to deal with. I didn't remember much about what type of person my sister was, I had been so young when I'd left this place so I didn't have the slightest clue what to feel.

I moved my eyes away from the picture and continued down the hallway, I didn't have time for any of this, I needed to find my family. I head further down the hallway, passing more pictures as I walked but stopped again when I saw pictures of my family. The pictures had all been updated since I'd been gone, I noticed that one of them was similar to one I remembered taking as a child. However, I was in none of these pictures. The most recent one was of both my parents and my older brother. My mother was standing in the middle of both of them, holding onto my father's hands. Her curly white blonde hair was pulled up into one of the elegant hairstyles I remembered from my childhood, her bright green eyes sparkling. She was wearing a red dress, her lipstick matching on her small smile. My father was wearing his usual king outfit that I'd grown accustomed to seeing him in growing up, his blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, streaks of gray running through it. His beard was the most obvious though that he was aging, it had the more gray in it than blonde. His hazel eyes looked tired, as though he were struggling to keep order. My older brother Yuki, he looked possibly nineteen in the picture. His blue hair still fell slightly infront of his eyes but the rest of his hair was longer, tied in a low ponytail like my father's. His green eyes matched my mother's, sparkling with pride in himself. He was dressed in an Onin outfit, he must've been a captain at this point.

I moved my eyes from the picture, I could feel rage flowing through my veins but I forced myself to remain in control. I wasn't going to give in to the curse mark, I wasn't going to let it's power cloud my judgment. I could succeed without the dark power and I was determined to do just that, I would be crowed queen when this was over. I forced myself to calm down, I could feel the stinging in my shoulder lessen and head further down the hallway. The war room was close, I'd check there before I tried the throne room. I could feel my insides turning as I took a turn down the hallway, taking in a slow breath. I had to stay strong, I couldn't be intimidated. I wasn't some defenseless little girl anymore, I was a strong shinobi and I was more than capable of taking care of myself.

I blinked curiously when I saw the doors of the war room wide open, peaking inside. Nothing, not a soul. That just narrowed it down though, they were in the throne room. It didn't surprise me that they'd wanted to stay seated on their thrones while the shinobi made all the sacrifice, they were selfish and only cared about their own safety. They wouldn't even stand on the front-lines with their people, the cowards. I continued my journey down the hallway, I could see the double doors in the distance. What type of entrance should I make? Should I just push the doors open and walk inside? Or should I bust the door down? Or phase through it? There were so many different choices that I could make but I guessed it would come to me, planning things out wasn't really my style anyway.

I stopped in front of the doors, taking in a deep breath as I gazed up at them. I could do this, I knew I could. It was time, time for me to take what was rightfully mine. I placed my hand on one of the doors, staring straight forward and gave it a hard push. The door slowly creaked open and I took my first step, walking inside the throne room. I looked up through my bamboo hat, three sets of eyes on me. My family, I was finally where I belonged, I was home.

They looked exactly the same as the picture I'd seen as I gazed upon them. My mother was still beautiful as could be, her white blonde hair hung in ringlet curls around her chest, it was unusual to see it free from one of her fancy hairstyles. She was wearing a very beautiful green gown that matched with her eyes, it made her look even more elegant. She was sitting on the throne next to my father, he looked much older since I'd last saw him. His hazel eyes were bloodshot, as if he'd been deprived of sleep. He had more grey in his blonde hair than the picture, I could see the silver streaking through it from this distance. He was dressed in his king outfit, a crown atop his head and a sash across his chest. My brother was sitting on the other side of my father, dressed in a shinobi outfit. His hair was pulled back, his blue bangs falling slightly infront of his eyes. He had a sword sitting in his lap, I recognized it as the one my father used to carry. My mother placed her hand on my father's arm, staring at me with wide eyes.

"Takao." she whispered.

"It's alright Eiko." he hushed. "Yuki, take care of the intruder."

"Hai Outo-san."

My brother moved to his feet, taking a few steps in front of my parents, guarding them from my sight with his sword drawn. I moved one of my hands to my hat, taking a handful of my cloak with the other. This was it, it was time for them to know the truth. I threw my cloak and hat in the air, taking a step forward and they fell to the floor behind me with a soft thud. I looked up from the ground, three pairs of eyes meeting mine.

"You." my father said. My mother cautiously moved to her feet, peaking around from behind my brother.

"Sada." she murmured, I nodded once.

"Konnichiwa Oka-san, Outo-san, Oni-chan." I greeted.

"How can this be?" my father said, standing up as well.

"I survived." I said simply.

"You should be dead." he shouted. I tilted my head to the side, blinking dumbly at him.

"Nande?" I asked softly. "Because I'm a monster?"

"You're an abomination." he yelled, pointing his finger accusingly.

"Takao, stop." I blinked dumbly again at my mother's words, watching as she took a step forward to stand next to my brother. "Our child is home again."

"Oka-san, she's not...right." Yuki murmured, sword still raised.

"She's a monster!" my father yelled.

"I will not turn our youngest child away again." she exclaimed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "This is all your fault Takao, I told you not to do that and look what you've done. Our precious daughter...the only one we have left...hates us now."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, watching her take a few steps closer to me. I didn't understand, I thought she'd hated me. Had she really not been able to go against what my father ordered, had she never wanted to follow his plans of sentencing me to death? I didn't understand, did she still love me? After all this time? She was moving so close to me, acting as if she weren't afraid of me or what I could do. It was different than when I'd been a child, as though she actually understood now that I was just a normal person with some rare abilities. Did she finally accept me for who I was?

"My sweet baby." she murmured, holding a hand over her heart. "All grown up now."

"Oka-san please-"

"That's enough Yuki." she interrupted, her voice cold. "Sada dear, please. Stay here with us. I've missed you so."

I turned when I heard an explosion echo in the castle, the doors of the throne room colliding with the ground, smoke filling the air. I coughed softly, squinting as I stared in the direction of the entrance. My red eyes widened when I saw the rest of the Akatsuki run into the room, stopping in their tracks when they saw me.

"Sada-chan, are you alright dear?" Konan called.

"Hai." I agreed. I turned back in the direction of my family, watching as my father's eyes narrowed into a heated glare.

"What do you think you're doing child?" he spat. I returned his glare, not feeling threatened in the least.

"You can step down from the throne." I replied softly. "The crown is mine."

"Hell no it isn't. I'm the eldest." Yuki retorted, taking a step closer to me.

"Enough!" My eyes darted to my mother, she was looking back over her shoulder at my father. "I want to talk to my daughter and you'll shut up until I'm done." she ordered, sounding angry.

"Eiko-"

"Shut up!" she screamed. I blinked dumbly when she turned back to me, a soft smile on her lips. "Sada dear. I'm so glad you've come home."

"N-nande?" I stuttered.

"I never wanted to hurt you dear." she whispered, her tone soft. "Please, stay here with me."

"Demo..."

I stopped, my words caught in my throat. I'd never thought this day would come, that my mother, would _actually_ want me back in her life. I'd never thought that she still loved me, I always thought she saw me like the rest of my family did, like a monster. But here she was, practically begging me to stay in Kuraigakure with her. Her green eyes were shining as she stared into my red ones, no hatred reflecting in them, only love.

"Darling." I snapped out of my thoughts when she held her hand out to me, her eyes urging me to take it. "Please." she begged.

"I-I'm here f-for the throne." I choked, trying to hold back my tears.

"Then it's yours." she responded.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly raised my hand towards hers, reaching out to her. I could feel my heart pounding as I placed my hand on hers, her fingers closing around my hand. I took a few steps closer to her, sighing contently when she moved her free arm around me to hold my body close to hers. I'd never thought I would be in my mother's embrace again, it was almost as though I were a child again, the way she was holding me close to her was the most peaceful feeling in the world.

"I'm so glad you've come back to me." she murmured.

"Oka-san." I smiled softly to myself as I leaned against her, my face buried in her white blonde hair. This was what I'd always wanted, a family.

"How dare you go against me Eiko!" I moved my face out of my mother's chest, turning so I could see my father. Anger was easily visible on his face, his eyes were narrowed into a heated glare as he stared at her. "You would dare go against me for _her_." he spat.

"She's our child!" mother screamed.

"Then you are dead to me." he roared.

'No.'

I could see the arrows of darkness flying towards us but I couldn't move, I was going to prove why the crown was rightfully mine and I wasn't going to stand down. My father wasn't going to hurt my mother, I wouldn't allow that to happen. I focused as I held onto her, the darkness phasing through the both of us. I took a slow breath, I could feel rage flowing through my veins. How dare he try to hurt _my_ mother. I was going to put a stop to his tyrant ways, he wasn't going to hurt anyone else ever again.

"Itachi-sama." I called, turning my head in his direction. "Will you take care of my Oka-san?"

"Hai." he agreed. Itachi came to my side quickly, holding his hand out to my mother. I looked up at her and squeezed her once, her eyes were filled with concern as she stared at me.

"He'll keep you safe Oka-san." I told her. "I'll deal with them." She smiled weakly and cupped my cheek, staring down into my red eyes.

"Be safe my child." she whispered, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

She moved out of my embrace, taking Itachi's hand and head across the room to stand with the rest of the Akatsuki. She looked so out of place standing there with them, but I knew they wouldn't let anything happen to her. They were her best defense against any jutsu or attacks that would be directed towards her. I turned my attention to my father and brother, I could feel hatred consuming me as I stared at them.

"Give me the crown." I ordered.

"The crown's mine!" Yuki raged, I blinked dumbly.

"You don't deserve it." I stated.

"Fuck you!" he yelled.

"The crown will be mine." I said easily. "And this dictatorship will end."

"Yuki, kill her."

I felt a small smirk come to my lips, he wanted me dead then. That wasn't going to happen, I was far more powerful than the both of them combined and I was going to prove it today. I could feel the power inside me, I knew it to be the curse mark and usually I wouldn't give into it's dark power. However, this was a special occasion and I believed a little dark power was in order. They saw me as a monster, I'd give them a monster. I turned in the direction of the Akatsuki, finding my mother's face amongst them. I wanted her to stay safe during this fight, I hated the idea of her seeing me under the curse mark's power but this was for the best.

"Stay clear of me." I instructed. "I don't want to hurt any of you." Konan's eyes widened, she knew what I was going to do.

"Sada-chan, you shouldn't give in to-"

"This is the only way." I interrupted. I turned to face my father and brother. "They want a monster, I'll give them one."

I let go of the seal.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

 _MIZU NO KUNI, KURAIGAKURE; ROYAL CASTLE, THRONE ROOM_

I could feel the dark power consuming me, chakra all around me, the hot moving from my shoulder. I could feel the hot move around my shoulder, down the left side of my body while the hot marks spread across the left side of my face. I felt so much power inside me, I knew I had the power to defeat my father and brother. I was strong enough to protect myself now, I wasn't a weak child anymore and I was ready to prove it.

I looked up through my lashes, a smirk came to my lips when I saw the terror reflecting in their eyes at the sight of me. I waved my hand in the empty air next to me, darkness swirling around. I swung my hand in front of my body, the darkness following in the form of a wave blast. I could feel the vibrations in the floor as it shot across the room towards them, knocking them to the floor with ease. I phased through the floor, coming out in front of my brother and gathered darkness in the palm of my hand. If I managed to make contact with him, the darkness could slip off my hand into his mind and shut down his brain, as long as I remained focused.

I furrowed my brow when he dodged my fist and jumped to his feet, hurling my other at him. I wasn't going to back down from this fight, I was going to win no matter what it took. I raised my hand when the sword was swung in my direction, a dark shield coming up between the two, blocking the attack. I smirked and brought my foot up, jamming the sandal into my brother's ribs. He coughed violently at the impact, trying to swing the sword back at me. I could've snorted at the weapon, I wasn't intimidated by a little sword, there were far more dangerous techniques in the shinobi world after all. I let it phase through my body and grabbed hold of his wrist, moving it in a direction it shouldn't have went. I felt a grin come to my lips when I heard the snap, it was broken. He howled loudly in pain, the sword slipping from his fingerings and clattered against the ground.

"What's it like Oni-chan, fighting a monster?" I teased.

"Fuck you!" he screamed.

I narrowed my eyes into a glare and brought my foot up, slamming it into his face. He flew across the room, hitting the wall on the other side of it and landed in a heap on the floor. I pursed my lips, was that really all the fight he had in him? Or was it just that the curse mark had made me _that_ much stronger? I watched as he pushed himself to his feet, staring at me with a heated glare.

"You aren't taking the crown." he spat, I couldn't hold in a giggle.

"Really?" I giggled. "And who's going to stop me? You?"

"You bitch!"

I watched with interest as he made handsigns, so it looked as if I was actually going to see some techniques of my home village today. He completed the last handsign, staring down at me with hatred. I watched in interest as darkness began creeping across the floor, rising up to create a small army. I groaned quietly at the simplicity of the soldiers, seriously? Was this really all he had? I could top this easily.

"Is that it?" I asked, feeling all the more bored.

"I'm just getting started!" he screamed.

I sighed in disappointment and waved my hand, my nightmare minions appearing out of thin air. It was odd that I didn't need handsigns when I had the assistance of the curse mark but I wasn't going to question it, it saved me some time and I didn't really want to deal with my brother's half assed jutsu. I placed my hand inside my weapon's pouch, pulling out the scroll that held Tamotsu. I held the scroll out in front of me, it rolled open and I turned my attention to my father, staring him down.

"Fight."

My minions sprung into actions, attacking the army that my brother had created. I focused my chakra into summoning the puppet, never moving my eyes from my father's. I wasn't sure how the idea had come to me, but I felt as if I knew exactly how I needed to summon my puppet, and I was going to do just that. I could feel darkness radiating from the scroll, it was time to battle with my first puppet. I focused harder, a puff of black smoke erupted from the scroll, covering the area around me. I felt a smirk rise to my lips when I saw the puppet standing before me, I'd figured it out.

It was a male puppet, standing at a height of 5'11. He had black hair that hung to his shoulders, his bangs swooped across his forehead, barely covering his deep red eyes. He had light ivory colored skin and had a smaller body frame, all his muscles were just toned and compatible with his body. He was dressed simply in black pants and a black elbow sleeved top, with shinobi sandals. He had a headband hanging around his neck, the sign of Kuraigakure. He had no signs of being a puppet, no plastic limbs or anything of the sort. He didn't even appear to have any weapons on him.

I wasn't sure how this human like creature could be a puppet but I wasn't going to question it, I needed this to be my advantage against my father and brother. Having a puppet on my side could be beneficial in all sorts of ways. They more than likely hadn't expected that I would have some of Kuraigakure's technology on my side so it was an advantage for me, even though I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I blinked curiously when the puppet moved his head in my direction on it's own accord, his red eyes finding my own.

"What are your orders Hime-sama?" he asked, I felt a smile come to my lips. So this was how advanced our technology was, we didn't even need chakra strings to control our puppets. They could move and even speak on their own, the only thing they required was orders.

"Deal with my brother." I ordered, he nodded once.

"How dare you?" my father exclaimed, I turned my eyes to him.

"Nani Otou-san?" I asked sweetly, the glare in his eyes deepened.

"You stole Tamotsu from your Nee-san!" he accused, I blinked dumbly.

"He was my birthday present." I said easily. "I'm fourteen now in case you were wondering."

"Kill her!" he screamed.

I turned when I heard a small clash, Tamotsu had blocked an attack from Yuki, keeping me safe from harm. I didn't understand our technology in the slightest. Why or how my puppet could move and speak on his own accord, but I couldn't be wondering about that right now. I had to focus on what I was here to do, I could learn more about my puppet later, for now I needed to deal with my father. My puppet moved forward, pushing Yuki to back off and began doing an array of advanced taijustu against him, I turned my attention to Kuraigakure's king.

"Give me the crown Otou-san." I ordered.

"The crown will never be yours." he spat, I rolled my eyes.

"Don't make me kill you, I will if I have to." I declared. He rose from his seat, taking a step towards me.

"I would rather die right now than leave my people in your charge." he stated, I snorted at that.

"You are the reason they're miserable!" I yelled, not able to contain my rage.

I heard the windows shattering and could feel the ground shaking under my feet, I was so angry with him for what he'd done to my people. My chakra was going out of control, the palace would be destroyed if I couldn't calm myself down but the palace wasn't my concern. I was here to take care of business, I didn't really need a fancy place to live, I knew I'd be spending a majority of my time in Amegakure once this was over with.

"You're nothing but a tyrant!" I exclaimed.

"You are nothing but a monster!" he retorted.

I could feel myself snap at his words, rage consuming me. This was it, he couldn't stay alive. I hated what I had to do but there was no other option, he had to die or he would continue to be a threat to the village. I couldn't do that to my people, they had suffered long enough under his rule and this was going to end today, even if it cost me my life. I raised my head from the floor, finding his hazel eyes.

"Gomenasai Otou-san."

I phased through the floor, coming out right before him and wrapped my hand around his throat, squeezing his windpipe as hard as I could manage. I didn't want to have to kill him, but I knew he would never see the light, he would never understand what kind of man he was and I had to end it.

"Otou-san!"

I waved my hand, another wave blast shot across the floor in my brother's direction, keeping him at bay for the moment while Tamotsu dealt with him. I turned my attention back to my father, he was clawing at my hand, trying to get me to back off, it wasn't going to happen. I heard a crack come from his neck, he was starting to turn blue from lack of air, had I really won this easily? I felt a fist make contact with my cheek and turned my head, finding my brother's eyes.

"Is that all you've got?" I asked seriously. I hadn't even felt his punch, was this how strong the leader of Kuraigakure was supposed to be? Because if this was all the royal family had, I was surprised the village had made it this far without being taken over by another village.

"H-how?" he stuttered, I blinked dumbly.

"How?" I repeated, feeling confused.

"Y-you s-should've..."

He couldn't even finish his sentence, he looked lost for words. I shrugged it off and turned my attention back to my father, he was suffocating, his eyes would be rolling in the back of his head soon enough. I turned my head when I heard a loud crash echo through the room, the chandelier had snapped and shattered against the floor. I blinked coolly, not even phased by the power in the room and met my father's eyes. I released his throat and he collapsed to his knees on the floor, coughing violently from lack of air, this was his last chance.

"Surrender the throne." I ordered. He moved his eyes up from the floor, hazel meeting red.

"Never." he spat.

"Then you die." I retorted. I turned my head in the direction of Yuki, feeling surprised to see he was backing away from me. Tamotsu didn't even have to do anything else to keep him away from me. Was he giving up? So easily? Was he seriously that afraid of me? "Do you want to die, Oni-chan?'

He didn't say anything as he stared at me wide eyed, Tamotsu came in between us, blocking his path. I moved my eyes back to my father, rage flowing through my veins as I stared him down. He was never going to accept me for who I was, I had finally accepted that and that meant, accepting the fate that I had to give him. I focused my chakra and hurled my fist towards his face, I was ready to kill him, to end this once and for all.

"Imouto matte!" My fist hung in the air, mere centimeters from my father's face, I turned my eyes to my older brother. "Please." he choked, the sword was hanging loosely at his side. "Imouto...spare him, please." I raised an eyebrow, staring at him with a cool expression.

"Nande?" I spat.

I was beginning to grow frustrated with this never ending battle, all these interruptions were testing my patience. I watched as he released the sword, it clattered against the floor softly and he moved down on one knee with his head bent low, kneeling to me.

"I-I relinquish m-my claim on the t-throne." he stuttered. "Please spare him."

I tilted my head to the side curiously as I stared him down, how did I know this wasn't some kind of trick? That's what this had to be, they were trying to lure me into a false sense of security so they could overpower me and kill me when I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't going to be fooled, I wasn't a naive child anymore and I wasn't going to let my kind heart be taken advantage of. I had a secret weapon though, a weapon that could show me the depths of someone's soul, my insightfulness was this weapon. The only way to know if he was telling the truth, was if I could see it in his eyes. My talent for reading people was finally going to come in handy.

"You renounce your claim on the throne?" I repeated. He moved his head up from the floor, his green eyes finding my red ones.

"Hai."

'He's lying.'

I felt a smirk come to my lips, my eyes meeting Tamotsu's, I nodded my head once.

"You're lying." I stated. "I hope you burn in hell."

His demise was quick, I wasn't even sure he'd felt any pain since he hadn't been expecting an attack. As soon as the words had left my lips, Tamotsu had come up behind him, swiftly wrapping an arm around his throat and snapped his neck. Yuki's body fell to the floor lifeless, I turned my eyes back in the direction of Kurai's king. His eyes were burning with hatred as he stared up at me, a hatred that he could only feel because he knew his line had ended. Not only had he lost his two eldest children, his wife had left him as well, the only thing he had left was the crown and even _that_ wouldn't be his for much longer.

"How does it feel your majesty, knowing your line has ended?" I asked, the smirk on my lips widening at the words.

"You...monster." he breathed, his chest heaving.

I narrowed my eyes and swung my fist at his face. This had gone on long enough, it was time for it to be over with. However, time seemed to have stopped when I'd least expected it. A small whine escaped my throat, my hand halted once more in midair, a blade buried in my stomach. I blinked dumbly, staring down at the blade while blood began soaking through the material of my clothes, I hadn't been expecting an attack of this simplicity. I'd been too reckless, too overwhelmed by the curse mark's power. I forced my eyes away from the damage, meeting my father's face. I could feel more rage moving through my veins at the smirk on his face, hot began climbing up my leg, I was losing the dark power. This wasn't the end though, I was going to finish it even if the end result was my death.

"SADA-CHAN!"

"NO!"

"SADA!"

"MY CHILD!"

I held my father's gaze as I coughed softly, a metallic taste on my tongue and a grin came to my lips as I stared at him. He thought he'd won, all because he'd stabbed me in a spot with a vital organ and I was going to be the one to prove how wrong he was for assuming he'd defeated me. He should've known all along that I was a fighter, that I would _never_ give up. His eyes widened at the sight of my grin, the hot was climbing up my arm, I _had_ to finish this now. I focused my chakra into my hand, trying to summon every ounce of strength left that I possessed and hurled my hand at him.

"Die."

My hand went right through his chest, coming out the other side, his heart in my hand, _literally_. The curse mark fully moved back to my shoulder as I stared into my father's dying eyes, they were growing dimmer by the second. I could hear footsteps running across the floor in my direction, I coughed softly and blood ran down my chin as I tried to catch my breath. I felt a hand grab hold of my arm and found my father's eyes on me, my legs were giving way under me. I watched as he parted his lips, his voice coming out in a small croak.

"Monster."

My legs buckled under me and I dropped to the floor of the palace, my back hitting the ground hard while my father's body collapsed next to me. I groaned softly and released my hold on the heart, moving my hand to the blade lodged in my body. I winced when my hand touched the hilt, my vision was starting to blur.

"Hime-sama don't." I blinked dumbly when I saw Tamotsu kneeling next to me, he moved one of his hands under my body before moving his body behind me, propping me up against him.

"Sada." I smiled a little when my eyes met a pair of onyx ones, Itachi. He was next to me in the floor, holding onto one of my hands, when had he got here?

"Itachi." I managed to get out.

"Don't move kid."

I moved my head slightly at the sound of the gruff voice, Kakuzu was on the other side of me, his hand hovering over my wound. I held in a gasp of pain when the blade was pulled from my wound, I could feel the blood gush out of it. I tilted my head up when I felt a familiar hand placed on my head, smiling a little at the sight of Konan.

"Are you alright dear?" she asked, I managed to nod in agreement.

"Hai, just hurts a little." I said softly.

My smile widened when she smoothed my hair in that motherly way of hers, I nuzzled my head against her hand as Kakuzu went about healing my wound. I could feel the chakra working inside my body, going about repairing the damaged cells and my shredded liver. As painful as the process was though, I knew I couldn't complain about it. If I didn't have the rest of the Akatsuki here with me then I'd probably be dead at this moment, not only had they been my backup, they'd saved my life by being here.

"Darling." My red orbs moved from Konan's orange ones, finding the pair of green ones I knew to be my mother's. "I'm...gomen my child."

"Oka-san?" I questioned, feeling confused.

"You were hurt...this is all my fault." she cried, I shook my head.

"No Oka-san...you tried, it's their fault." I told her. She smiled weakly and knelt down next to me, taking my free hand in hers. I smiled a little and squeezed her hand, nodding my head in my love's direction. "Oka-san, this is Itachi." Her eyes moved from mine, finding Itachi's face. "He's my fiance."

She smiled softly, nodding a little. Her eyes were so warm as I stared up at her, admiration and pride on her face as she stared down at me. I was happier in this moment than I had been in a long time, I finally had my mother back in my life and this time she was on _my_ side. The warmth of her hand told me everything I needed to know, I _knew_ that she loved me.

"Well done Sada." I looked in the direction of the voice, Pein had come to stand next to Konan.

"Arigato leader-sama." I whispered, secretly feeling overjoyed that he'd congratulated me on my victory. "We need to tell the people that we won."

"That will be the next order of business once you have recovered from your injuries." Pein said in a cold voice.

"Demo-"

"You need rest dear." Konan interrupted, smoothing my hair again. "We'll take care of everything else while you recuperate."

"Please." I begged. "Just tell them, so they won't be afraid anymore. Deidara can make an announcement from the sky."

"I wouldn't care to hm." Deidara agreed, pushing his bangs out of his eye. "The people must be scared hm."

"I can maneuver my puppet army to guard those loyal to Sada from the remaining enemy." Sasori suggested lazily.

"Then we have a plan." Pein stated. "Zetsu, you'll be in charge of guarding the entrance of the village. Kisame, we'll need your jutsu to hide the village from prying eyes."

"Got it." Kisame agreed, grinning widely.

"Kakuzu and Hidan, focus your attention on guarding the entrance to the castle. Allow no one to enter." Pein ordered. "Itachi will stay with Sada."

"Hai leader-sama." Itachi said, sounding monotone.

Everyone began moving out to follow their assignments, Itachi had moved back next to me and placed his arms around me, pulling me up into his arms. I smiled a little and leaned my head against his chest as he held me, snuggling into his warm embrace. It was almost like the first time he'd carried me when we'd first met, he was especially careful with my injury and how he was holding me. I moved my eyes back to my mother, she met my gaze.

"Allow me to find a room for you both to stay in." she offered. "You need to rest my darling."

"Hai Oka-san." I agreed, nodding my head along with my words. "Tamotsu, I'll need you to guard the room we stay in."

"Hai Hime-sama." he agreed, bowing in respect. I looked over in Konan and Pein's direction, they looked as though they were deeply immersed in a conversation, their voices were low and hushed. I'd have my mother tell Konan where my room would be later, I didn't want to interrupt. "Can we go now Itachi-sama? I'm so tired."

"Hai." he agreed softly, pressing a kiss to my temple.

Itachi followed silently behind my mother out of the throne room, carrying me in his arms as he walked, Tamotsu was following behind us as silent as a shadow. I leaned my head against the Sharingan user's chest, shutting my eyes as I cuddled close to him. Today had went exactly the way I'd needed it to and so carefully planned for, I was now the only remaining heir to the throne and with my father dead, that meant I was the rightful ruler. I knew the biggest problem I'd be facing was how I would run a country while being in the ranks of Akatsuki but I would worry about that later. For now, I just needed some sleep.

I smiled a little when Itachi placed a kiss into my hair, nuzzling my head against his cloak. In this moment, there were so many things I was thankful for but the main thing was Itachi. He was the reason that I'd managed to succeed, if it hadn't been for his training, I didn't think I would've ever accomplished taking the throne of my village. There were so many things I owed him for but I knew the only payment I could give him was my love and devotion.

"Here we are." I opened my eyes at the sound of my mother's voice, watching as she opened the door to a room. "I've taken quiet good care of this room over the years, I hope it's adequate."

"Oka-san." I whispered. "Is it..."

"Your old room." she finished, smiling a little.

I felt myself beaming at her words, tugging at Itachi's cloak. I'd be able to rest perfectly in my old room, my mother was so thoughtful to bring me here out of all the rooms in the palace. Itachi carried me inside the room, I looked around curiously. I wasn't surprised that most of the old toys I'd had were gone but my favorite stuffed bear was sitting on the bed, looking as though he were just waiting for me to come back. The furniture had been updated in the room so there would be plenty of room for the two of us in here.

"I'll see you later my darling."

My mother exited the room after placing a soft kiss to my forehead, Tamotsu shut the door behind her and remained standing in the hallway to guard. Itachi carefully placed me on the bed before laying down next to me, moving his arm around me to hold me. As much as I wanted to talk about everything, I just needed to rest right now. The curse mark had wiped me out and I was drained, I needed to gather my strength. I shut my eyes, smiling when he placed a kiss into my hair a few minutes later. I could feel myself becoming drowsier as the seconds ticked by, time was soon out of my reach.

"I love you."

Sleep took me.


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 _MIZU NO KUNI, KURAIGAKURE; ROYAL CASTLE, WAR ROOM_

"Konohagakure has a new Hokage?" I repeated, Oyaji nodded once.

"Hai Joo-sama, Tsunade of the Legendary Sanin." he replied, I bit down on my lower lip in thought.

"And what about Sunagakure?" I pressed.

"A new Kazekage has yet to be assigned, for now the council is running the village." he answered, I moved my eyes to Konan.

"Oka-san, what do you think?" I asked, Konan smiled a little.

"Sada-chan, this is your first move as Joo. You need to make a decision that's going to be best for your people." she responded, I huffed quietly.

"Demo...why does Konohagakure have to be an option?" I pouted quietly to myself, crossing my arms over my chest. Konohagakure was too close minded, I didn't like the idea of my people being allied with them, for all I knew they could try to take over my village and kill all of my people.

"Sada-chan?" Konan pressed, I groaned softly.

"No, not Konoha." I stated. "They are Akatsuki's biggest threat and I don't trust them."

"A wise move Sada." Pein agreed in a cold voice. I smiled a little at the praise, turning my attention back to Oyaji.

"Oyaji, do you know who they have in mind for Kazekage?" I asked, he nodded in agreement.

"Sabuka no Gaara." he answered, I felt my heart swell with joy at the words.

Sunagakure was considering Gaara as Kazekage and with Gaara being my best friend, we could be the perfect allies to each other. Amegakure was already allied with Kuraigakure but that was a given seeing as that was the Akatsuki's home base. If Sunagakure joined us in this, then that would already be three nations fighting towards a goal of world peace. Not to mention Sunagakure was in one of the biggest countries, shinobi were scattered across the land and it could be our biggest force towards stopping threats like Orochimaru.

"I've decided." I stated. The record keeper straightened up at my words, ready to write down every word I said and every proclamation I made. "Kuraigakure will ally with Sunagakure, once the new Kazekage is appointed."

"And you're sure about this?" Sasori asked lazily, sounding bored. I nodded in agreement, Suna was the best choice I could make for first allies.

"If Gaara becomes Kazekage, we're golden." I said softly, smiling a little. "He's my best friend and I know that if something bad happens here, he'd send his people to help. Just like I'd do the same for him."

"You mustn't let your personal feelings cloud your judgment Sada-chan." Konan advised, the smile on my lips widened.

"I know him." I assured. "I know what kind of person he is and I know he'd do anything to help me, this is the right move. I can feel it." Itachi nodded in agreement with me, squeezing my hand lovingly under the table.

"Then I'll immediately have someone prepare the necessary documents Joo-sama." Oyaji offered, I nodded a little.

"Arigato Oyaji."

It had been a little over two weeks since I had taken the throne as Joo and things were going quite smoothly. I'd had a coronation ceremony to crown me as the new ruler of Kuraigakure and the people had been more than thrilled about it. I'd been welcomed with open arms by my people and they were more than willing to follow my lead, it'd helped lift a great weight off my shoulders knowing how supported I was. I had been working very hard to accomplish everything that needed changed before I returned to Amegakure with the rest of the Akatsuki, I had decided that I would leave the village in the hands of Oyaji. As much as I would've liked for my mother to be in charge during my time away, I knew it wouldn't be the smartest move to make. The people didn't seem to trust her completely and I wasn't so sure that she would rule in the way I needed her to, for that reason I had decided to make Oyaji my adviser and right hand in the decision making.

My mother had seemed quite upset when I'd admitted I wouldn't be in Kuraigakure full time with her, she'd seemed slightly heartbroken that I would be leaving the village almost as soon as I'd come home. I'd explained to her that as much as I wished I could stay, the sake of the world was a far more important matter. I'd told her about the Akatsuki, after receiving the okay from Pein, telling her in great detail the goal of world peace and that we were aiming to relinquish all war throughout the world. As much as I wanted to stay with her and makeup for lost time, I knew that there were far more important matters to attend to. After a very long conversation, we'd come to an understanding and she had agreed that I needed to stay with the organization, do what I could to help make the world a safer place. It had warmed my heart when she'd told me how proud she was of me, I'd never thought I'd hear those words come from my mother but I was glad that I had her back in my life, she'd finally accepted me.

I smiled a little at the thought, turning my attention to Oyaji. He was by the world map hung up in the war room, marking Sunagakure down as our first potential ally since I'd been crowned ruler, I was sure that he would make sure everything would run smoothly in Kurai while I was away.

"Joo-sama, do you have any other allies in mind?" he asked, I bit down on my lower lip in thought.

"Ano..."

"I believe you'd done quite enough for today dear." Konan commented, I turned my eyes to see Pein nod in agreement.

"Hai, we have other matters to discuss." he stated, I nodded a little.

"Of course." I agreed. I turned my attention to the Kurai shinobi in the room, waving my hand once. "Leave us."

The guards bowed respectfully, ushering out my records keeper and escorting Oyaji out as they shut the doors behind them. I squeezed Itachi's hand under the table, watching as Pein rose from the table and began pacing the room slowly, looking deep in thought as his eyes scanned the world map.

"We have accomplished something great here." he stated in a cold voice. "The lands will soon realize how powerful the Akatsuki are and see us as a threat, we'll need to gather more reinforcements against those who appose us."

"Aye." Kisame agreed, Kakuzu nodded his head.

"Does anyone have any suggestions for gathering more members?" Konan asked, Sasori sighed lazily.

"More members hm?" Deidara questioned, sounding confused. "Demo, I thought the goal was only ten."

"Fucking right?" Hidan groaned, leaning back in his chair. "I don't wanna deal with anymore assholes."

"The new members we gather won't be of _our_ status in the organization." Kakuzu said gruffly. "They'll merely be underlings."

"I could get in contact with some of the other Swordsmen." Kisame suggested after a moment of silence, I nodded in agreement.

"Hai, the swordsmen are all quite strong." I added softly. "I met a few of them when I was with Zabuza-sama."

"What do you think Pein?" Konan pressed, Pein crossed his arms over his chest.

"They would be a good resource to add to Akatsuki." he finally said. "Sasori, I'll need you to call forth your sleeper agents, we'll need to keep a close eye on Konohagakure."

"Hai."

Sasori nodded his head seriously, his eyes were cold, I was sure he was calculating how many agents he should plant in Konoha. What about the other villages though, wouldn't it be a good idea to plant some in the others and see if they were the type that would ally with Akatsuki?

"Ano, leader-sama?" I spoke, trying to force my voice louder than normal. Pein turned his eyes to me, purple meeting red. "Do you think...it could be a good idea to do the same for the other villages?" Pein blinked coolly, seeming as though he were waiting on me to finish my sentence.

"I believe Sada is right." Itachi said in a monotone. "We could have them observe the other villages, see which could be swayed to join Akatsuki and ally with Kuraigakure."

"Oooo, that's a good idea." the white side of Zetsu cooed.

"Shut it you." the black side grumbled.

"Agreed." Pein said, a smirk coming to his lips. "Sasori?"

"I'll be sure to start immediately." the red head stated, nodding once.

"Any other ideas?" Konan asked cheerfully. Hidan huffed quietly, I turned my eyes to see him prop his elbow on the table.

"Many other Jashinists managed to become fuckin immortal." he commented, slicking his silver hair back. "Not fucking sure if they'd join this damn circus, demo, I'll try the shit."

"Baka." Kakuzu grumbled. "We don't need more of _you_."

"Ooi you damn atheist, Jashinism is the truest fucking religion in this damn-"

"That's enough Hidan." Konan snapped.

"I believe Hidan could be right." Pein mused, chuckling darkly. "Having more immortals on our side could be quite the advantage. Contact them Hidan."

"Tch, whatever." Hidan seethed, glaring darkly in Kakuzu's direction.

I pressed my lips into a thin line, trying my hardest to think of any other people that could be swayed to our cause. Having more Kiri shinobi on our side would be a definite plus, more immortals so as to not have any significant loss to the Akatsuki if any other people died, who else could we recruit? There weren't any other Uchiha's in the world other than Itachi and Sasuke, so trying to find more Sharingan users was out of the question, wait...what about Iwa? Deidara had told me about being in a group called the Explosion Corps, if we had more bombers than that would be quite valuable, Deidara wouldn't have to take on a load of work on his own.

"Ano..." All eyes were on me in an instant, I felt my cheeks going warm but forced myself to meet Deidara's visible eye, my face was probably scarlet at this point. "Dei, what about that group in Iwa you told me about?" I asked, he blinked dumbly.

"You mean Explosion Corps hm?" he asked, I nodded hesitantly. "I suppose they could be good allies to have, obviously their explosions aren't as powerful as mine but it'd help to have other bombers hm."

"Do you think they'd join?" I questioned, he shrugged halfheartedly.

"I have a few friends that are still part of it, I could try hm." he replied, smoothing his bangs.

"I think that could be a tremendous help." Konan added, Pein nodded once in agreement.

"Very well." he agreed. "For now, we'll stick to just contacting those we've spoken of. We'll focus on building Akatsuki further at a later time, we already have the shinobi of Kuraigakure on our side so we have a decent sized army. We'll need them for the next movement."

"Next movement?" Kisame pressed. Pein nodded and resumed his seat, his eyes were darker than I've ever seen them.

"The fuck are you talking about?" Hidan spat.

"We have one enemy that must be taken care of without delay." Pein began, I tilted my head to the side curiously. "You all know who I speak of."

" _Him_." Sasori growled, I turned my head to see his eyes dark as well. I'd never seen Sasori this way before, he was already a cold and calculated individual but the look in his eyes was even more menacing than usual.

"Who are we talking about?" I questioned, Konan moved her hand to my shoulder from across the table and turned her eyes to the Akatsuki leader.

"Pein, Sada-chan doesn't know." she commented. Pein nodded once, his eyes finding mine.

"One of the biggest threats to Akatsuki is Orochimaru." I felt the blood in my veins go cold at the words, managing to swallow the lump in my throat.

'That's right, Orochimaru betrayed Akatsuki. Itachi said that he'd been Sasori's old partner before Deidara was recruited.'

"Orochimaru has information on Akatsuki that could ruin us." Pein stated, his voice colder than normal. "For that reason, we'll need to eliminate him before the other nations manage to discover our triumph against Kuraigakure."

"I'll make sure he suffers greatly." Sasori murmured darkly, Deidara nodded in agreement.

"Before that is to happen, we'll need to find Orochimaru's home base." Pein continued. Konan nodded, folding her hands in her lap.

"We may have a way to do just that." Itachi stated, turning his eyes to find mine.

I felt a small smile come to my lips when our eyes met, even though they had none of his usual warmth, his hand gently squeezed mine from under the table, trying to reassure me he loved me. I didn't know if he or Kisame had told Pein or Konan about me being connected to Orochimaru through my curse mark, but I was about to find out.

"How so?" Konan pressed.

"The curse mark he gave me." I admitted. "It warns me in a way, the closer I am to him, the more it hurts. I could use that to find him."

"We'll have to be careful how we go about this." Pein said. "Orochimaru is crafty, he may know we're coming for him so we'll have to be prepared when the time comes."

"What about Sada-chan's curse mark Pein?" Konan questioned, sounding concerned. "She shouldn't have to live with it her entire life."

"It's alright Oka-san." I replied. "Making sure he's not a threat to us is more important than having it removed, I'm not sure if he can even do it once it's applied."

"I'm unsure as well." Sasori commented.

"From the information I've gathered." the white side of Zetsu started.

" _We've_ gathered." the black side snarled.

"It looks like there's a second stage to the curse mark." the white side finished.

"Uchiha Sasuke has been moved to this stage." the black side added.

"Nani?" I whispered, feeling shocked. "Is he alright?" The other Akatsuki members had confused expressions as they stared at me, not knowing that Sasuke was a good friend of mine, only Itachi and Kisame knew the truth.

"Hime and Itachi-san's Omouto were good friends." Kisame explained, Zetsu nodded once.

"He's doing quite well from what we could tell." the white side's chipper voice said.

"Hell bent on revenge though." the black side chuckled darkly.

"What are we to do about this then Pein?" Konan asked curiously.

"Itachi?" Pein questioned.

"I will deal with Sasuke." he said coldly. "The affairs of the Uchiha are between us."

"Demo Itachi-sama." I exclaimed, unable to stop myself. "We need to help him, Sasuke has a good heart-"

"Sada-chan." Konan interrupted, her tone gentle. "That's not your place to ask that of Itachi-san."

"These are matters of the Uchiha, Sada." Itachi said, his voice not as cold as usual.

I could tell he was trying to be gentle towards me about the situation, but I couldn't back down from this. Sasuke was my friend (and would be my brother in law once Itachi and I married) and I didn't want him to be killed simply because he'd allied with Orochimaru. Even though Sasuke had chosen the wrong path, it didn't mean there was no time to correct it and I wanted to save him from an awful fate. I knew he wanted to kill Itachi for the murder of their family/clan but perhaps he would back away from that choice, when he saw that he wasn't going to get to Itachi without going through me first. I could only hope that the situation would turn out alright in the end but for now, I wasn't going to let Itachi push me out of this conversation. I knew he loved me, just as I loved him but I was part of this family too, I wanted him to hear me out.

"They concern me just as much Itachi." I turned my eyes to him, red meeting onyx. "You asked me to marry you, I'll be just as much part of the Uchiha as the two of you." I stated softly. "As your fiance, I should have some say in the matter." I tried to stare at him with as much courage as I could muster, there was silence around the table as we stared at each other until finally, Itachi released my hand and moved to cup my cheek, leaning his forehead down against mine.

"You are right my love." he murmured. "Gomenasai, what would you like to do?"

"Sasuke is strong." I whispered, looking up into his eyes. "Another Sharingan user could benefit Akatsuki, if you both could put your differences aside then we should convince him to join. If he won't, then we should at least spare him, he's family."

"That could cause problems Sada-chan." Konan commented.

"I agree, sparing the boy's life could come back on us." Pein agreed.

"Then let me talk to him." I pleaded, turning to face them. "He'll listen to me, just let me try, please."

"Sada." I turned my eyes back to my love, forcing myself not to cry at the distant gaze in his eyes. I knew he was doing it for the sake of his mission but it just seemed to tear me apart when I couldn't see his true self, the warmth he held inside himself. "Very well." he murmured, I felt my heart leap at the words. "You can talk to him once the base is located and we invade, demo, if you can't convince him to back down then we'll have to eliminate him." I nodded in agreement, a small smile came to my lips.

"Trust me, I can do this." I whispered, he placed a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Then we have a plan." Pein's voice grabbed my attention, everyone was focused on him again. "Zetsu, do whatever it takes to locate Orochimaru's base, if you can't find it, then Sada will take over at a later time. The rest of us will leave tonight to return to Amegakure, we must be ready once he's found."

"Hai."

Everyone spoke at the same time, the word echoing quietly through the room as Pein rose from his seat with Konan at his side, dismissing everyone from the meeting. Itachi and I left the war room side by side, his arm was around my waist to steady me. The gown I was dressed in skimmed the bottom of the floor as we walked the halls of the castle, I wasn't used to wearing clothing of this stature so it was a little harder to keep my balance, I couldn't wait to be back in my Akatsuki uniform. As we walked in the comfortable silence, my thoughts were bolting around in my brain, unable to slow down as I thought over everything mentioned in the meeting.

I hoped that everything would work out when it came to Sasuke, I wanted to do everything I could to save him from a dark fate and I knew that Itachi didn't want to kill Sasuke. We'd talked about him before together and I knew how much Itachi loved him, he'd never wanted to hurt his brother with the actions he'd taken, he'd done everything for Sasuke's sake. I couldn't begin to imagine how he was feeling about it, Sasuke didn't know the truth and hated Itachi for what he'd done, not knowing that it had all been for him. I hoped that I would be able to end the turmoil inside Sasuke once I managed to talk with him.

"Sada." I tilted my head up to look at Itachi, smiling softly when he pressed a short kiss into my hair. "Arigato."

"For what?" I questioned, not understanding.

"For wanting to help Sasuke." he murmured. "There would have been nothing I could say to save his life without blowing my cover, arigato."

"I know how much he means to you." I whispered. "This mission is going to be intense."

"It is, however, we'll manage to get through it." he swore.

"As long as we're together." I added, he smiled.

"As long as we're together." he repeated.

The world better be ready because before it knew it, there would only be peace. One day, the Akatsuki would end all war and hostility between the nations. One day there would be no hatred, only love throughout the world. For now, it was time to go back home.


End file.
